The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-14
Campaign Funds.

The republicans are rot only FRYING the
| fat out of the manufacturers, but they are
making the republican office-holders con-
| tribute literally TO their campaign fund.
/ The text OF the circular that they are send
! ing 10 of1ice-holders was published day or
two ago. That document leaves no doubt
about what they are doing. They are as
| sessing the manufacturing monopolies, and
making them pay the assessment, by threats
of one kind and another. and they
ere telling the office-holders that if
they don't contribute literally they will be
dismissed from office if the republican
party is succeSsfu These republican office
holders fear the Republican more than
the Democratic party, because they know
that if Mr.. Cleveland is reelected they viii
not oe disturbed, but that if Gen. Harrison
is elected they will lose their places if they
don't buy the good will of their party.
BY these and other means the republi-
cans are raising very large campaign
fund. There is no question about how they
will use some Of it-perhaps the bulk of it.
They will corrupt voters with it.
They won't waste it in paying campaign
orators and subsidizing newspaper organs.
They will send it TO the doubtful states, and
dispose of it in the way that Mr.. Stephen
Dorsey is said to have disposed Of a very
large number Of crisp 81 bills in Indiana in
1880.
Although their programme for the re-
mainder Of the campaign is largely one of
corruption they still have the cheek to charge
the democrats with having violated tie civil
service law, and with using large sums of
money illegitimately to influence the result
of the election. They are making these
charges, however, for the purpose of hiding
their own corrupt practices, and to cast sus-
picion upon their political opponents. They
are therefore not only corrupt. but dishon-
est.
The report of Senator Hale the other day
on the operations of the civil service reform
law was skilfully written. 1t aimed to
create the impression that about all the
republican office-holders had been replaced
by democrats, and that the democrats were
corrupting the civil service to aud in the
success of the Democratic party. The truth
IS, that there are many thousands of re-
pubicans in Office, hundreds of whom are
SO@-AS
the gift Of the government, and the repub-
lican campaign managers are bulldczing
them out of very considerable part of
their salaries Under the circumstances,
the forbearance which the administration
is displaying toward these Office holders is
something remarkable. 1t clearly shows
that the President is enforcing the spirit as
well as the letter of the civil service reform
law.
Are the democratic office-holders being
assessed for campaign purposes! Doubtless
some Of them have voluntarily made con-
tributions, but no demands have been made
upon them. They know, however, that
campaign cannot be conducted without
money. There are legitimate expenses to
be met, and it is their privilege, as well as
to their interest, to help meet them. They
have the honors as well as the emoluments
of Office, and if they are wise they will not
he backward in lending their party help
ing hand.