Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1892-02-26
THE GRUB STAKE IN POLL
TICS,

They have a practice in the min
ing districts called grub stalking
which signifies that man havln,
money provides an impecuniou
prospector with food and tools, anC
the latter goes searching for min
e,al, under promise of contingent
reward. That is to say, if discov
cry is, made tho man who has beer
grub staked gets given share O.
the profit; and if nothing is found
then the grub-staker loses the
amount of his investment. Ex-
Senator Tabor, of Colorado, made
most OF his fortune by grub. stalking
the helpless fellows In the camp
where he kept store; and other
silver kings have owed their success
more or less to the same form of
speculation. But the process is
not confined to the mining business.
The idea of the grub stake has
crept into our politics, and the or
dinary observer can readily detect
the prospectors who are working
under contracts OF that sort. A
man of wealth takes notion that
he would like to have a certain
office-maybe the Presidency or it
may be something else and so he
furnishes supplies to a given num-
ber of politicians and sends them
out to promote his interests as a
candidate, with the promise of a
share of the spoils in the event of
HE election. 1t is by such means
that good many of the booms are
started-and they always collapse
as soon as the grub stakes stop.
The character of the individu ais
who are in the habit of taking ad-
vantage of the political grub stake
is hardly up to that of the average
miner in point of honesty and
fidelity. They do not scruple to
sell out the man whose money they
have taken whenever another man
offers them more. The prospect
of contingent payment does not
influence them like spot cash prop
ositions. They have practical
views, and prefer bird in the hand
to a dozen in the bush. Thus it
happens that they are frequently
found shouting for several different
candidates in the course of single
campaign. Such conduct on their
part does not imply any actual
change. .of opinion; it simply means
that they have been repeatedly
grub staked. The candidate takes
his chances of duplicity and betray-
al, of course, when he deals with
these energetic and enthusiastic
citizens. Ii they were miners, he
could be reasonably sure that the
would be duly observed;
but their conception of the grub
stake is different, and they do not
themselves bound to abide
by its terms when they can do
better by violating them. Now
and then they get hold of a man
who consents to be bled several
times by the same persons, on var
ous pretexts, before he learns their
game; but such cases are the ex-
JcptlOub. no Iuio, tHt kfuD
stakers understand these men and
heir methods, and they make cal
,ulations accordingly. The prac-
ice is not one that can be COM
but it is a part of the sys-
.em of civilization, nevertheless,
md it presents considerable op-
for the study of human
nature In one OF its most interest
ng aspects. Undoubtedly the
grub stake in politics has come to
itay. 1t fills manifest want, and
,eryes distinct, If not very credi-
able, purpose, and SO We must
axe account of it along with the
'ther curious and suggestive
levices of the period.