Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-12-28
Costly Bids for Votes.

The inscriptions politicians OF both
parties for years past, says the New
York Journal of Commerce, have been
engaged in most unwise competition
for public favor. If the contest had
been carried ON at their own expense
it would be of less Importance, but the
price has been paid in every case at the
cost of some material interest ruthless
ly sacrificed for these selfish ends
Party platforms have contained pied
ges that could only be redeemed by
costly legislative experiments, and
every one of the evils that now hinder
the prosperity of the country or
threaten its future welfare have had
their origin in these efforts for party
supremacy. The injudicious schemes
enacted in State assemblies or sup
ported in Congress have not grown out
of mistaken conception of what is
wisest or best in relation to the q ICES
lions at issue. The one ruling motive
has been to win the alliance of some
class by profession of warm devotion
to a local, organized or sectional
interest.
The last session of Congress gave a
striking illustration of this in an act
passed Aug. 1, 1892, fixing eight hours
as the limit of a days work and
making it penal offense for any Off
oan ~, o~onf Of tho TTnito1 Gtotoc to
employ laborer or mechanic for a
longer period. The law goes much
further and forbids any contractor or
sub-contractor doing work for the
United States to require or permit his
workmen to work more than eight
hours in any calendar day. There was
not one of those members of Congress
who voted for this act in the honest
belief that it was required for the. pub
lie welfare. They all know, if they are
not helpless idiots, that farmers, labor
ers and mechanics working for them
selves give ten, twelve and in many
cases fourteen hours of each secular
day to unremitting toll. And the wives
of this class are most of them subject
to at least as many hours in their daily
task. They know, or ought to know,
that there is not successful lahorer or
business man in the country who has
not worked early and late and given
much longer days than the one thus
limited to his own affairs. 1t is esti-
mated that the execution of this law if
it is strictly enforced will take from
twenty to forty millions year out of
the pockets of tho taxpayers of this
country, large proportion of whom
will have to earn it by the work of a
much longer day. The act was intro
duced to secure the votes of the trades
unionists, and those who knew it
ought not to pass were afraid for party
reasons to place themselves on record
against it.
The Interstate Commerce bill was
born of the same parentage and the
law has worked an immense amount
of damage to the whole country. The
Force bill and the Anticipation measure
had a similar origin, and have thus far
failed only because the prospective
gain was more than counterbalanced
by the revelation of a sturdy opposi-
tion that would transfer the loss to the
other side.
There is a long list of acts in the
Federal statutes and not a few in the
volumes of State laws which had no
higher motive for their birth than
desire to pander to the prejudices or
selfish interests of some clan or clique
whose aid or patronage was desired
The pension grants that cost the
Treasury over one hundred and sixty
millions last year, and will involve an
outlay of nearly two hundred millions
next year, were not increased because
of the poverty or suffering of those
who served in the late war, or the needs
of the widows and orphans of the de-
ceased soldiers. They were begotten
of desire on the part of scheming
politicians to win the votes of Grand
Army men and to pose before the coun-
try as the special friends of those who
wore the blue in defense of the Union.
Every thoughtful man knows full well
that the provision has been grossly
abused. At the close of the last fiscal
year there were 846, 1893 who were draw
ing pensions. With those since added
there are now over 900, 900 on the roll,
and nearly 100000 fresh applicants are
waiting to be heard. If there is no
check, and no sitting of the present
list of beneficiaries, there will soon be
over one million of persons drawing
their main support as pensioners, living
on the public bounty. No true patriot
objects to a provision for those who
became sick or crippled in the service,
or would refuse tender care of widows
and orphans who are left dependent
because of the devotion of their natural
protectors. But the magnitude of the
present and prospective expenditure
must convince every thoughtful OBJ
server that the grant has gone far be-
yond the limit of any proper claim on
the public bounty.