Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-13

Money 10 misused In American elections
Nobody doubts IL. Public attention has beer
called 10 the fact with special emphasis in thu
recent presidential election. In every doubt
ful state thsrs are charges and counter-chargei
Of bribery and corruption. Both parties are
tarred with the same stick. They dare no
push their antagonists TO the point Of exposure
IN court and legal punishment for fear Of Z
similar fate. The grand jury generally ad
journs withous finding indictments, the work
err on each side being glad to cry quits. Pub.
Lie opinion, confused by partisan charges and
deniAls, knows not precisely what Oh
how much to believe, but q certainty
of the existence Of the evil remains. The New
York Worlds publications on the subject have
served useful purpose in calling public atten
tion to the enormous proportions which politi
cal bribery has assumed. Legislation proposed
by Representatives Holman and Howard indi
Gates that the necessity is appreciated Of check
ing the evil. Reform in the election laws and
severe penalties for offences against the purity
u elections may be expected to result from {
loud and continuous demand by the public fol
some remedy. The briber should be as earn
estly pursued and as severely punished a. the
thief. II the subordinate government Office,
should cease to be, as political spoiis the prizes
Of elections, some of the inducements to bribery
would be removed. But the only lasting
and effective check to the evil will result from
the aggressive movements Of the mass Of the
people, acting in accordance with an aroused
moral sentiment II the people, a. q body,
ere corrupt, no possible laws can be effective.
II the mass of the people, shocked at the
extent Of political crime, say with decision that
the briber must 60, the politicians will obey.
The corrupt employmentaOf money in elections
10 q national evil to be extirpated only by the
people. II II not less threatening than the
undue influence Of accumulated capital in al
American affairs, to which il il akin, and over
which the Presidents recent message grieved
But the President. finding the revenue reform
baby Of his administration stuffed with saw.
dust, feared that the world il mockery; that
our civilization il o failure, and that
the American republic is played out. Emer,
sons theory 10 that corruption is an in.
variable accompaniment of displays OF
power in human affairs, that the repub.
hs IL . mighty oak, type Of supreme
vigor, necessarily sustaining as such mice. lice,
borers aud parasites, but great, powerful and
hea,thful notwithstanding. The evils of land
whekc WcuA' oCCumubSco dnQ ueu ucCdy,
where aggregated capital lords it over the in
dividual citizen, until manhood disappears and
the nation wallows helplessly and hopelessly
in corruption, are not to be attributed solely To
is system Of import duties, and revenue re-
form will not protect the republic from them.
But while the condition of the'nation may be
viewed philosophicslly from the Emerson
standpoint, instead of pessimistically from
the Cleveland standpoint, and while the latter
view Of the sources of existing evils may be so
limited As to become misleading the existence
Of some Of the hurtful tendencies to which the
President refers IL unquestionable. The vast,
growing and injurious power Of trusts combi-
nations and monopolies confronts the American
people as q condition not q theory. There is
foundation for the charge that corporations
which should be the carefully restrained
creations Of the law and the servants Of the
people are fast becoming the peoples mas
ters." Plutocracy threatens not only al
election time, but at all times. Free trade
or Q tariff for revenue only will not cor
rect this evil tendency, but it exists, and to
meet and conquer 1t il one Of the tasks which
are set to test the strength and manhood Of the
worlds great republic. The modern Hercules
among nations will not accomplish the as
signed labor Of conquering the money dragon
in the manner suggested by the message, but
the task must and will be performed.