The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-05-20
THE USE OF MONEY IN POLITICS

The following article from the
Philadelphia Press of Wednesday
clearly and truthEully depicts the poll
teal situation in many counties OF the
state The custom referred to pre-
walls no where to a greater extent than
in Columbia county. The greatest
public evil of the day is the corrupt
use of money in politics. The Press
says:
"rhe ground upon which Mr.. Rey-
nolds is contesting the seat of Con.
gressman Shonk, of the Twelfth Dis
trict, is the corrupt use OF money in
the election. Mr.. Shonk in his reply
admitted that he had spent nearly
$4,000 in his canvass, but denied
that ii was done corruptly. and no evi-
dence has been produced to show that
there was any corruption on Mr.
Shonk's part.
The Wilkes. Barre Record, printed
in the Twelfth District, undertakes to
show the necessity for large expendi.
ture there, and that great deal of
money can be used without any OF it
designedly going to corrupt single
voter. First, the county is very
large one, and a thorough canvass re.
quires several thousands OF dollars.
Second, hundreds and hundreds of
dollars are shamefully wasted upon
heelers and strikers, who look upon
candidate rs their natural and legiti.
mate prey. 1t is asserted, and no
doubt truthtully. that these strikers
have been encouraged in the past by
the mistaken liberality of candidates
who allowed themselves to be bled to
the extent OF many thousands of dol.
lars, and it is practically useless to
hope for an election without yielding
to them.
This is doubtless the supreme evil.
1t will grow from year to year unless
candidates are found who have the
courage to refuse to submit to it, let
the result be what i, may TO pay
money to strikers and heelers because
they would constitute 4 dangerous ele.
ment OF opposition if they did not get
It is itself corruption. although it may
not be defined as such in the statutes.
1t has become such common prac.
tice. however. that the candidate re-
CARDS 1t is necessary and legitimate
part OF his duty, We have never be.
lieved that the charge of bribery could
hold asainst Mr., Shonk. and it has not
held, but to pay $1,000 in canvass
for election to an Office worth only that
SUN for two years term must be re-
garded as demoralizing.
If Mr.. Shonk found it necessary to
do this because some one else had
done it before him, it was only CON-
mon experience. The free use of
money in politics has made it impos-
sible in some districts to cary on
campaign with less than was previously
used. and'generally more is required
in each succeeding canvass. The
striker who has been paid this year re.
fuses TO do anything, or does i, on the
other side, next year unless he is again
paid. And year after year this goes
on, getting worse all the time. II was
seriously felt by the management of
the Republican State campaign las,
year, following as it did upon the de-
moralizing money campaign of the
year before, 1t is eveybody's secret
that it was Difficult, 10 &c, 4 good
many who ordinarily regard themselves
as active party men TO interest them
selves, because they could no, get the
same inspiration as they had in the
previous canvass.
Nobody cen pretend that such use
OF money As this is right. 1t encour-
ages disrepu,able methods 1t makes
II impossible for a man without 4 for
tune to accept nomination for
Office. no matter what his merits
Sooner or later it leads to almos, open
corruption and decentralization. Ii is
one OF the threatening and mos,
dangerous evils OF the day, and can
not Be continued indefinitely"