The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-08-25
THE BARREL IN POLITICS.

mos. powerful, ifnot controlling influence.
And it is growing more and more conspicuous
every year. Not only do the executive com
mittees of each party in national politics,
when there is presidential campaign on
hand, bend every energy to raise money for
the canvass, but ii has come to be too often
the case that the chairmen and members of
these committees are selected because of
their personal wealth, rs well as because of
their ability and influence. And the party
that ia in power, and we do not know that
this is chargeable more TO one party than to
another, requires all offlce-hoders and clerks
under it, all dependents to contribute per
centage Of their salaries for campaign pur-
poses. Nor is this evil confined alone to
national politics; not alone are moneyed men
thus frequently selected for places on presi-
dental tickets because of their ability to con-
tribute and command means to aid in the
struggle, but money is also made q lever in
state politics. Ia Connecticut we see that
the Republicans have selected guberna-
torial candidate who is wealthy, and the
Democrats have done the same thing In
New Jersey the Republicans have put up ~
barrel candidate" and the Democrats are
casting about for one to pit against him. In
PENNSYLVANIA the barrel has played
a conspicuous part in the
selections for congressional stsndard-bearers'
How long is "the barrel to be a potent fac
tor in politics? This is a problem that only
the people can solve. How could money be
of use, money in large amounts we mean,
unless there i, corruption some where? Are
the sufrages Of the people for s,le? Are
the ballot boxes of the country polluted with
the purchased votes of any class of sufirag
ans? II so, how can there be free and
pure ballot as long as this is the case ? What
showing has the patriot who goes to the
polls and there votes for principles
that he endorses, votes according
to the convictions of his judgement
and his conscience, against the hired assassin
of liberty who makes his vote thing of bar
ter, and casts his voice in behalf of the men
or the measures that pay him most? There
are legitimate ends in every political cam
paign, whether state or national, for which
money can be used. 1t is right and proper
that each political party should publish
and make known to tho world the
principles and the measures for which it is
and the reasons it has to urge
Why those principles should be dominant in
he land and to do this there must be
peeches made and the expenses Of speakers
'uSht to be pFid, and speeches,
md data, and arguments should
be printed and disseminated among
he people that they may read and reflect
nd arrive at correct conclusions AS TO the
demands of each party. To do this money
J necessary, but does it stand to reason that
uch enormous amounts as we know are
expended in every campaign, are necessary
o these ends 1t is fact, and a lamentab!e
me, too, indeed an alarming fact, that there
re thousands and thousands of people in this
ountry vested with the exalted right OF suf-
rage, who respect not the right, who ae
ctuated by noplre motive, when they go TO
he ballot.bo to exercise their priv
lege, who have no regard for the welfare or
afety of the country, their only aim being to
roft pecuniarily by their right to vote.
'he,a people, corrupt at heart, influenced
My by ignoble purposes, are not confined to
ny particular class in life. They can be
ound in all stations, pursuing all avocations.
hey are the dangerous leaven that
lay yet shake the institutions ofour country
rom foundation to turret stone. We see
hat it has already come to pass that in
campaign in every state where the
ote between the contending parties is close,
nat vigorous fight is made there and mon
pOuIeu OuI liho WuItI' IL ~ tLe
eating corrupt vote that each
arty strives to secure. The excellence of
rinciples, tho force of argument, the power
t eloquence has no effect upon it. The
arty that has the most money and places it
lost judicously, wins. Can the country be
afe when this is the case' While such state
affairs exists, does not the country rest
pom a smouldering volcano of corruption
nd fraud, and utter Indifference to its well |
eing, that is liable at any time to burstiort
nd tear down its columns and pillars as
ampson did the temple of the Philistines
urying all in the wreck When leaders
re so corrupt as to purchase pow
r, what ultimate hope has the
nion! 1t behooves the people, the true
atriots, who have the country's prosperity
t heart, who love the institutions the ia.
hers Of the land established and want to see
hem perpetuated, to consider of this danger
which menaces them. Let statesmen gravely !
onsider of this thing and evolve some plan
o eliminate 'the barrel' from politics Let
he law view the man who sells his vote and
he man who purchases it as felons, and treat
hem accordingly. The man who will bar
er off his right of suffrage is unworthy the
light and should be deprived of it. He is
Iisgrace to his country; he is murderer of