Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-09-26
THE WEEKLY Union
RAILROADS IN POLITICS,

RAILROADS IN POLITICS.
The announcement made by the Presi-
dent Of the Southern Pacific Company
that 'aat corporation will not take part in
the political contests of the country has
beer received with very evident disappro.
baton on the part of a certain class Of
people. There are those who very much
desire that large moneyed institutions
shal! eater the political arena and contend
dor the control Of parties and the direc-
ton of government The presence of a
large monetary institution in the caucus,
the convention, at the polls, around the
committee rooms and in the Hobbies of the
Legislature, is certain to produce a con-
stantly rising tide OF venality and corrup-
ton. A railroad corporation, or other
moneyed institution, when in politics, is
In to win. It's very presence there raises
the expectation of pecuniar.T reward
among those who make politics trade
What political manipulators, ward politi-
clans and lobbyists about Legislatures
might do without pay for measures, where
no large aggregation of capital is seeking
to accomplish results, they will not do for
such aggregation of capital without pecu-
MARY reward. The presence of such capi-
tai in politics raises expectation and abso-
lutely paralyzes political activity, until
the paralysis is relieved by monetary con-
sideration. 1t follows then that when a
great moneyed institution of any kind be-
comes directly interested in party manipu-
lation and political activity, corruption
and venality at once set up and continu-
ally increase in an augmenting ratio.
To say, therefore, that large moueyed
institutions are in politics, in the caucus.
In the primary, in the State and County
Conventions, and about the Legislature,
without exerting corrupting influence is
TO declare an open and palpable absurdity.
The situation brings into activity all the
venal elements of political society. 1t en-
ergizes the yenal attributes of the human
mind wherever they exist, and from the
contamination of this all-peryading infu-
ence nothing escapes. The presence of
great monetary institutions in the caucus,
the primary and the conventions finds its
most deformed and debasing feature in the
constantly-increasing tendency toward ve-
nality which it encourages. At the outset
the nGmber of those who expect to make
money out of politics is comparatively
few, but the example of those who do sue
coed III this line invites recruits to their
ranks The number of persons then who
must be pecuniarily rewarded for their
political services constantly increases, and,
what is more, the amount Of pay to each
augments each year. In this way the wrong
appears to have the power of self cure Let a
great monetary institution enter the polit-
ical arena in any State of this Union. At
the end of FIVE years $4,000 will not
accomplish what 81 900 would have accom-
plished at the beginning, and at the end
of twenty years $4,000 is not equal to the
purchasing power of $1,000 at the begin
ming at the end of quarter of century
$4,000 will not serve the purpose, origi-
nally served by $1,000. Indefinite ex-
pectation aecomplishes this result.
There is no standard of measurement by
which the value of political services may
be weighed or determined. 1t cannot be
estimated by the day or the month. 1t
cannot be weighed by any table of weights
or measures. 1t yields to no analysis OF
quantity. Hence the individual who &C.
quires efficiency, gets control of detached
portions OF voters, can vote men in ''blocks
OF FIVE, aud take adelegaiion from ward
into city convention and city or county
delegation into State convention and
@vote them programme has no means Of
knowing what his services are worth. He
comes to estimate his worth by what he
finds men willing to pay. Later ne be-
comes skilled in knowing what great
wealth is able to pay, and measures his de-
mand by the standard of the purchasing
power Of the instrument seeking political
control. The very presence, therefore, Of
great wealth in the political arena, is the
unmistakable sign that corrupting inhu,
ences are at work, because great wealth
win not be permitted any degree of polit
zeal So cess on any other terms.