The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-06-22
ELECTIONS TO BE BOUGHT.

~ DOI0hls
The Republican nomination of whitelaw
Reid to the Office of Vice-PTesdent is an
event that properly gives an occasion for
moments pause and reflection There was no
apparent reason why Mr.. Reid should receive
this nomination. He was Republican, 1t IS
true. but there are hundreds of thousands Of
them as deeply dyed in all the poisoned
coorings Of this faith as Mr.. Reid ia, any one
of whom would have answered as we'll as Dir.
Reid TO fill the fgureheads place allotted to
the Vice-President. There were many reasons
why he should not have been chosen for this
position.
In the first place the party had very re-
spectacle old granny in Mr.. Morton, who for
four years had performed his part Of letting
Mr.. Sherman know when he had the floor or
reminding Mr.. Morrill, that the regular order
was on hand with nasal twang just such as
comes from down East. There was no pro-
priety, therefore, in selecting Mr. Harrison
again for his place and setting Mr.. Morton
aside when his was again in question. Farther,
there we're positive reasons why Reid should
not be selected For wears while aiming at
printing the New York Tribune as cheaply
as possible he has made himself the ayowed
enemy of organized labor, and he has thereby
arrayed against himself the thousands of
laborers who belong to labor Unions. These
will never, under any circumstances, vote for
him, and the party, in making him their
nominee, deliberately courted the luminosity
OF the labor unions of the country
Why have the Republicans, with such de.
liberation. repudiated all the prophecies Of
the matter upon the one hand and SO con-
temptuously affronted the labor unions upon
the other? The answer is very plain. 1t is
because Mr.. Reid married the daughter of ID.
o. Mills, Pacific slope millionaire, who has
accumulated one Of those marvellous fortunes
that the last thirty years have produced in
that favored section, and who Is now accounted
one of the wealthiest men in the world.
Starting from nothing, Mr.. Mills now has
money beyond the dreams Of avarice, ana.
like all men of his kind, be naturally wants
his money so applied that it will secure for
him social recognition that he could never
otherwise acquire. Reid is chosen for the
place of Vice-President because Republican
managers believe Mills will shell out all the
money necessary to buy voters enough to
elect him. and there is the whole business in
a nutshell. Proprieties may 90 to the dogs
labor mon may chew the bitter cud of their
| animosities in silent aud aggravating hunger
| But if Mr.. Mills will furnish the money the
| Republican managers say they will buy the
voters, and amongst others those very labor
men most opposed to Reid and his methods.
The Republican theory of elections has
now developed and advanced 10 a point at
which its further progress must be arrested.
or we had we'll despair OF free institutions
for the future. Its open, undisguised propa-
eanda is that to the longest purse belongs the
electors. Its system of rewards is based upon
this idea; its whole platform of principles
hinges upon the same. Harrison made Wan
namaker. chief salesman in Philadelp hia
| JUNK shop. a Cabinet Minister because he
raised S400 900 from protected monopolists
with which voters were corrupted and bought
for him. He made Woods q United States
Court of Appeals Judge, because as United
States District Judge. he had protected Dud-
/ ley llOLn prosecution III lis COQlL lOI OcDdQEu-
| ing Indiana's votes with Wannamaker's
money. Steve" Elkins boon companion
of New York's and Washington's street loafers
and bar-room bummers. is made a Cabinet
officer because his purse is long enough to
have its influence with West Virginia Repub-
licans. Depew being link to connect Har-
rison with the Vanderbilt purse and the
money Of corporations is to be made
Secretary of State unless his common sense
teaches him he would be d fool to accept it,
1t lie on this scale that Harrison has notori-
ously. openly and impudsntly placed his
theory for distributing the honors and re-
wards that our system OF government puts
under the Presidents charge.
And in dong this Harrison is by no means
leading his party. He is simply executing
his party's behests. What do Mckinley and
! Quay and New and GARRISON care for pro-
tective tariff? Does any one believe that
they are concerned for ii because they think
1t will make the wages oflaboring men higher Z
The man that thinks SO knows very little of
such men. They favor protective tariff be-