The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1890-05-17
NEW STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY.


A bill has just been passed in one
branch of the legislature of Rhode
Island to prevent the corrupt prac-
tices which are SO common almost
everywhere in elections. These cor
rupt practices are traceable in, nearly
all cases to the m:ddleuen In politics
who act in conventions and commit
tees, says the S. +. Bulletin. Some
times all of these political confidence
men are operated by boss, or syndi
cate, like Tammany hall, in the back
ground. Through the operation of
these We have got pretty nearly to
government by purchase.
The bill which has passed the
Rhode Island house strikes directly at
those political teredos. All persons of
the character described are forbidden
under penalty to give, pay, contribute
or cause to be paid, or to collect. re-
ceive or hold any money, draft, check
or other thing of value for any pur-
pose direct or indirect, connected with
any election, except for certain speci-
fed uses, namely, holding public meet
ings and publishing notices thereof,
the printing and folding of ballots and
their delivery at the postofiice. print
ing circulars and posting hand-bill
notices, the transportation of voters
and the publication Of notices of elect
tion. Ten days after the election all
committees and middlemen are re-
quired to publish statement of their
expenditures under penalty of a fine
of $1,000 or years Imprisonment.
The proposed measure bears some
resemblance to the law of California
known as the "Piece-club" law. I'm
der the provisions of that enactment
no convention or committee can assess
candidates for office without incurring
the penalty of misdemeanor. The
candidates are to meet and assess
themselves. But unfortunately the
money so raised is handed over by
common consent to the county COM
mittees for expenditure. The effect
of the law has been to suppress the
crosser features of what used to be
known as the "piece-club business"
But the assessment of candidates goes
on as lively as ever. The county
committees generally intimate to the
candidates just how much money they
will each have to vote. The candl-
date who refuses may be dropped from
the ticket, and there is no law in that
case, political or statutory, to which
he could appeal for redress. The only
new features il the proposed Rhode
Island law is the provision requiring
political committees to publish the
items of their expenditures ten days
after the election. In such provi-
sion some sort of check will be found
on the rapacity of the middlemen In
politics. 1t is not, however, origin al
with the Rhode Island law makers, for
the rule has for some time been in ex-
istence in England.
The regulation is to some extent a
valuable check on political confidence
men. But even in connection with |
all the other checks, either suggested
OF in operation, it falls short of a re-
form that is needed. Additional as
sistance will be found in that form of |
ballot commonly known as the Aus
tralian, supplied by the state and SO
arranged that citizens can be placed on
it as candidates by petition as we'll as
by the agency of committees and con-
ventions. The political middlemen
have pretty nearly destroyed all the
popular features of our government.
We are no longer free people. 1t is
in many cases the widest nonsense to
suppose that we are governing our
selves. There is to be general cleo
tion held in this state next month,
but if political matters fall out in the
usual way, the people will have about
as much to say in the selection of their
rulers as the people of Russia have in
naming the czar and the lieutenants of
his government. The silver lining to
this dark cloud is that there is an
awakening everywhere on the subject
The most general topic of discussion in
most legislatures is ballot and political
reform. New kinds Of ballot, new
kinds of political machinery, new
methods of counting, new systems of
registration are every whera being de-
yelopsd.