The morning call., 1892-03-12
A LESSON FOR BOODLERs.

The hoodlers vino, with the assistance of
the Supreme Court of California. defeated
the recent effort of honest citizens to check
the march of political corruption will do
we'll to give a moments study to the recent
election In the Province Of Quebec. The
issue at the election was clean cut between
doodle and anti-boodle. 1t had been proved
by investigation that the late Prime Minis
ter, NJ. Mercier, had been involved In cor
rupt jobs aud that he had held his party to-
gether by the cohesive agency OF public
pleader. The party opposed to him went to
the people on a platform of hostility to
Doodle. He rested his claims TO support,
not on frank avowal of his belief in boo
die, but en- appeals to race prejudice and
religious feeling. He claimed to represent
the French Canadian race. as opposed to
English settlers, and he likewise posed as
the especial friend of the church. His cal
culation was aStute. for the French Cana
dians are in an overwhelming majority in
the Province of Quebec, and the church has
always been powerful there. Yet the result
of the election has left him in minority
of 50 in a Legislature in which las. year he
had a majority Of %. So much for Doodle.
The simple fact is that while communities
are sometimes slow to wake up to the evil
of corruption in politics, they are sure to
wake at last and when the waking does
come it is apt to be thorough. For many
years under the Macdonald regime Canada
has been ruled by coalition whose con-
meeting link was railroad Doodle. Sir John
was pure himself, but nearly every one
round him was corrupt He went into pol
tiles from love of power; they from love of
dollars. 1t was we'll known in Canada that
members of the Government and their
friends were making fortunes out of the
Canadian Pacific aud other railroads; but
so long as honest John, at the head OF the
Conservatives. affected TO be ignorant of
the Doodle transactions, and the church
| had more important work in hand, the
coalition retained power in spite of the
growing discomfort. After Sir Johns death
the coalition dissolved itself, and the head
OF the Quebec Ministry being Liberal the
church was free. without mourning susp-
cOn of inconsistency, to take a frank stand
against Doodle, and to repudate the cor
rupt politician who tried to offset his cor
ruption by increased devotion to his creed.
Cardinal Taschereau has given proof Of
political ability. as well as honesty
WHAT has happened in Quebec will happen
elsewhere. Here and everywhere the peo-
pie will get even with the boodlers, sooner
Support, ana each is known to be equally
corrupt, it IS difficult for the honest citizen
to Cast an effective vote. For him it is il
question of the frying-pan and the fire. But
this he can do. He can join with others who
are like minded TO himself, and they can
mass their votes so as to snow under which,
| ever party appears for the time to be domi-
nant. Politicians will understand what that
means.
The late uprising against Doodle in this
! city was not engineered by either party. nor
was it directed against either The Judge
who impaneled the Grand Jury is Demo-
crat, but the majority of the grand Jurors
were Republicans. The court which res
cued the boodlers is Republican, but the
men it rescued were chiefly Democrats, the
head and chief of them being the Demo-
cratic boss. The power which lay back OF
the booders is responsible for the elect on
| of Senator Stanford, bnt its principal ne VS.
! paper organ at present is also the organ of
| the Democratic party. 1t is thus evident
| that, at the coming election, honest citi-
| zens cannot testify their approval of the
late uprising. or their indignation at its de-
| feat, by throwing their weight TO either of
! the two great political parties. But they
! can indirectly snow how they feel by defeat
| ing every candidate who has been affiliated
| with the boodlers, or who is supported by
their hackers, whatever his political party
| may be; and this done, they can wait for
| such an opportunity of emphasizing their
meaning as the Quebeckers had when the
| MERCER Administration appealed to them
for Endorsement