Litchfield enquirer., 1880-08-26
The Pocket-Book in Politics.


upon the undue influence of wealth in Con-
necticut Politics." called out by the recent
nominations in this state. This article is evil
IDENTIFY written by some one not only familiar
with the politics of Connecticut, but with the
Salisbury Plan" as practiced in the corner of
Connecticut where it originated. The writer
also notices, what candid men of both parties
lament, but what no party paper rebukes ex-
cept in an opponent, the rapid drift of our pol
itics toward plutocracy.
We must not be understood as favOring a
mere government oflawyers, such as often pre-
walls in the history of the republic, and was
commented upon by that keen observer, DE
Tocquevllle. Although we consider lawyers
better fitted for legislation than any other
class of citizens, we have often observed that
a legislature of lawyers is too much of good
thing. They consume time in mere talk;
they spit hairs, and let grave matters 60 un-
decided; and, above all, they fall into the ex-
aggerated partisanship of the advocate when
they should take the calm, candid view of the
statesman. f
We do not object to business men in politics
as business men, but because of the motives
which induce political managers to put them
in nomination. and of the methods they prac-
tice, or allow others to practice, to achieve an
election. We recognize the fact that William
Ell. Barnum is business man of uncommon
''grip"-a man who would make himself felt
in any legislative or executive position. What
we object to in Mr.. Barnum is not that he
should aspire to represent the people of Con-
necticut in Senate or House, but that he
should attempt to control politics without
reference to their wishes, in short to play
the "boss," not the leader. ..t
When the suffrage has come to the condi-
ton referred to in the Post-when, in every
small town, it has come to be the fact that
ga venal band of from twenty to fifty electors
offer their votes to the highest bidder" then
popular government is at end. For govern
ment of the best, the aristocracy or of the
most, the democracy; is substituted govern
ment of the richest, the plutocracy. Under
such form of government wealth controls
everything Senates become Houses of Lords.
rich men with titles; lower legislative
branches, Houses of Commons, rich men with
out titles 1t is to plutocracy that Connecticut is
rapidly tending. Do our little senatorial con-
ventions, even, prefer ability or wealth? Can
poor man, no matter how popular, safely run
for congress in this district or in any
of the three senatorial districts in this coun-
ty? Did not the recent Republican State
Convention declare, in effect, with more haste
than decency, that wealthy candidates are a
necessity and did not the Democratic con-
vention of the following week give in it's ad-
heslen to that fundamental principle of new
school Connecticut politics?
Yet pious persons who could not be brought
to tempt men with rum to disgrace their man
hood, or to tempt women with passion to dis
grace their womanhood; are found directly or
indirectly tempting citizens with money to
disgrace their citizenship. We consider the
man who keeps the dram shop, the woman
who keeps house of i'll fame, less dangerous
citizens of the republic than the man who buys
votes. The rumseller ruins only small mi
nority of the people among whom he carries
on his baleful trade. Prostitution destroys
only still smaller minority of the women of
any community. Political corruption, on the
guilty, of our citizenship. ... .. Ire.
Year by year the honest voter finds his bal
lot exercising less and less power He and
clean majority of other honest voters cast
ballots that determine nothing, that elect no.
body. The corrupt minority, holding the
balance of power, determine everything, elect
all our representatives, our senators, our gov
errors Soon they will elect our presidents.
Our political managers, state committees, cor,
rupt manipulators of voters, are just now in
supreme control of everything. They are su-
nority whose votes determine elections. Every
good citizen is now in the predicanent of the
man who has had his safe burst open and
knows that all his bonds are in the hands of
TIC liz uCdiS Will Vic uCtCCGINC anu
the detective deals with the burglar Eventu.
ally the detective and the burglar divide the
spoil, and the true owner gets nothing Just
so he honest citizen has come to observe that
the corrupt citizen is. controlling all the cleo
tions In his simplicity he goes to the politi-
clan for relief. The politician talks the talk
of expedicncy, and even seems to regrets the
the corruption he occasions; but, in reality, he
and the corrupt voter are parts of the same
corrupt machine. Together, they have rob-
bed the honest man of his vote, and no deal
ings with either or both will even restore him
his lost franchise. 81.
AS regards legal measures against bribery,
whe' is to pursue them? The very year the
Salisbury Plan was first put in operation, a
congressional committee undertook to nvesti-
gate the election of VIM. H. over P. T. Bar
mum. If that investigation had been pursued
II would have shown both candidates, both
parties, engaged in the same evil work. 1t
was dropped because neither candidate, Meth
er party, dared pursue it further. Hereabouts,
that was the last attempt at illegal suasion" to
prevent political corruption.
One contest of all others we now long to see
in Connecticut politics: the nomination of a
candidate who it is known will not contribute
money for corrupt use against the candidate
who it Is known will contribute money fer
such use Atifirst honesty might be at disad-
vantage, but in the end we believe that it
would win. Even the politician knows this,
but all the election the politician ever cares
about is the neat election.
English Radicals are openly moving for an
abolition Of the House Of Lords. This is the
most important reform the British constitu-
ton now needs. The royal power is so sharp
In, l;,,,;tad t,ars, Ia ii;ttlo =: :.