The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-11-10
ELECTION FUNDS.

ELECTION FUNDS.
There are two very interesting arti
cles in the North American Review
upon the French electoral system, one
by M. Naquet of the French Chamber
of Deputies and the other by Theo'
dore Staunton, the latter more COM
ment on the former and entering more
into details.
Mr.. Staunton's long residence In
France will excuse him in the state
ment that he makes in regard to the
manner a political party collects its
sinews of war, differing, he says, in
France entirely from that in
this country. In France a
certain amount of the taxes
paid by the people for
the support of the federal government
is set aside as fund to be used by the
party in power for election purposes,
and Mr.. Staunton thinks that in this
country the candidate or his party
must furnish the funds. That is true
in theory but not in fact, especially if
the party in power be the Republican
party, not that they are more dis
honest individually than the members
of the Democratic party, but by the
accident of the cardinal issue in the
contest in this election they levy their
election contributions indirectly on
the people without distinction of
party.
The Republican party levies a
tariff that benefits so largely
the manufacturers of the country
that when they need election funds 1T
is only necessary for their national
committee to call upon these wealthy
manufacturers, or as the popular
phrase is, "fry the fat" out of them to
obtain all the money they need.
The tariff is important to every
one of these manufacturers, without it
they would have no special privileges,
no SUPER or advantages in competition
for fortunes with all of the other
people of the country, but with it
they receive bonus on the articles
hey manufacture SO large that they
can afford to buy the presidency.
Without it Mr.. Carnegie could not
have contributed 500, 900 to aid in the
effort to elect Mr.. Harrison, and while
the French election fund is collected
directly for that purpose, and a
limited amount set aside 10 aid the
party in power in elections, the..fund
collected in this country from the
manufacturers comes indirectly from
all the people, as it is obtained by the
manufacturers from tax paid by the
people, for tax in the nature of our
tariff comes after all out Of the pockets
of the consumer.
Mr.. Staunton takes occasion to shew
what an advantage this limited sum
in France gives to the party in power
in perpetuating that power; but a
Frenchman would be astonished at the
stupendous sums of money collected
for the same purposes in this country.
1t is only limited by thenecessity and
can be swelled to any amount by the
Republican national committee init
mating to these wealthy manufacture
ers that tue race is doubtful, knowing
that these favored government pets
cannot afford to lose race which
would mean the reduction of their
ability to make money to the same op-
portunities enjoyed by all other men
not so fortunate as to have class legisla-
ton in their favor. There is really no
difference in the system OF raising
election funds in France and in this
country by the parties in power, ex-
cept in the amount Of the fund, the
francs of France being duplicated
by our dollars here, or five
times as much; and if necessary a
bnOubHuu d5 SUh w
raised here and the amount, no matter
how much, is contributed by the con-
sumers of this country who pay the
tax to the government and the bonus
to the manufacturer whenever they
purchase any article for use, from the
coat worn, to the plate dined upon,
from the plow breaking up the land, to
the rails over which the crop is trans
ported when it is railroaded to market.
The French system is a little more
open and honest than the system of
collecting campaign funds in this
country is.at present under the mani
pulations of high tariff.