Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-10-21
aancastcr fmtelligenccr.
A Marked Ret-ogressIon.

A Aarked Ret-ogressIen.
Amid all the reforms which are in an
active state of ebullition in these days,
we note one marked instance of retro
gression in political methods. 1t is in
the matter of the cost of elections. In
former times far less money was expend-
ed by political committees than seems to
he considered necessary now. Col. Nc
Clure says in the Times today that in
1860, when he was chairman of the Re.
publican state committee, the entire ex-
penditure of the committee was twelve
thousand dollars, and their victory had
to be won with an inharmonious and
unorganized party" That sum would be
considered entirely insufficient now for
any state committee, and there are pro-
baby county committees even out
side the gre.t city whose bills aggregate
more in exciting contests. There is no
one party that is chargeable with this
increased extravaganza. Democratic
politicians are as eager rs Republicans
to collect all the funds they can raise for
campaign expenses and the Reform COM
mittees are even more prOdigal in their
outlay. Doubtless there is difference
in merit in the methods of expenditures.
We would not accuse the RefOrmers,
whose fupdament is on the rcck of
purity, of spending money unlawfully or
wrOngfully nor can we admit that
Democratic committees do not use their
contributions properly. But we have
decided conviction that every political
committee spends money unwisely. The
law of Pennsylvania strictly prescribes
the uses of money for election ex-
penses, and if it was observed in its
letter and spirit we cannot conceive
that elections would be the costly things
that they are to the party committees.
One of the great elements of strength of
the Philadelphia Reform Committee of
One Hundred is the Overflowing cOndi-
tion of its treasury. 1t has found that
money is potential in party work. 1t
has discovered ways to spend it that are
effective, and probably not in themselves
wrong. But reform should not he costly.
Political movements should not he only
possible to citizens of wealth. In Eng
land they are more expensive even than
with us, and this notwithstanding striD-
gent laws which strive to forbid the use
Of money in elections. The candidates
find that the laws do not protect their
pockets. If they want TO he elected
they must spend their money like water.
Elections are supposed to he purer in
England than here, although more
costly; and it seems, since our
elections are becoming more pure
while they are increasing in cost,
that there is no necessary connec-
tion between cash and corruption in
elections that the truly good have met
the truly bad OH their own grounds, and :,
in the language Of the poker game, have
seen their hand and gone ever SO much
better. What will be the result if moth
ing but money can serve as the basis of a
party? Will poor men, who are in
the great majority, he likely to be
benefited by the march of reform,
which advances only with such golden
spurs This is not likely. One certain
result will l,e the greater stability of the
existing we'll founded parties. When it
costs SO much to run tilt against them,
discontented voters will hesitate long
before entering the lists with new ban
ners. Already promising independent
party in New York city has gone to
pieces on the financial rock. The com
mittee in charge of its birth re
ported that seventy thousand would be
needed for its outfit, and rs they did
not see the money, and had no
ambition to provide it themselves, they
recommended that the babe be not born.
One of the most difficult questions pre-
sented to the conscientious party man,
particularly in Pennsylvania, where i'm,
proper expenses are forbidden by law, is
to decide how ne can pay party con-
tribution to 4 committee which spends it
for purposes Of which he has 10 knowl-
edge. Nearly everyone who desires to
help his party along gives his money and
puts upon the committee the RESPONSE
bility of the expenditure way on. Of
the difficulty that is more easy tian salts
factory for a citizen, and certainly CAN
didate ought to know himself that he has
done nothing which will enable another
to do a wrongful and forbidden thing.
After the Reform committees get the
abuses amended which they are now
successfully contending against, it will
be necessary to get up other Reform
committees to reform them. There is
certainly no necessity, in tho nature of
the thing itself, for political commit
tee to have any more money than will
pay for the printed ballots. They do
not neel 20 pay anything to circulate
political information the newspapers do
that for nothing. They require nothing
to pay taxes for every voter should pay
his own, and the law requires him to do
SO. They should expenl nothing
for poll committees for every
citizen should lie left to deposit
his vote without solicitation and
the election officers ought to he able
and willing to prevent every illegal vote
from being cast. All of these things
should be. though none of them are.
When we get the country properly re.
formed, they will be and until they are,
we may consider our political institu