St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-08
AIMED AT SPECULATIVE SEN.
ATOfSS.

OnS.
The bill to preserve the purity of ma
tlonal legislation introduced in The sem
ate Tuesday by Mr.. Allen, the Populist
senator from Nebraska, has much to
commend it, and. if practical. would be
heartily approved by the community.
But. unfortunately. circumstances are
such as to render its enforcement inn
possible, except by the retirement of
nearly three -fourths of the members of
both houses Of congress now holding Of
fee, and the disqualification of large
majority of those who hope in the future
to attain seats in either body. The bill
provides that it shall be unlawful tor
any senator or representative during his
term of office to own OF be concerned,
directly or indirectly, in owning, buy.
ing or selling, or in any manner dealing
in speculative stocks the value of which
may i'll any manner depend upon vote
OF congress-; nor shall any member of
congress during his term be member
or interested pecuniarily in any board of
trade, stock exchange, national bank or
other organization in Which such stocks
are bought Or sold.
The ideal legislator should no doubt
lie above suspicion of being pecuniarlly
interested in matters that come up for
consideration in the body of which he is
member. Yet we find that nearly
all of our senators and representa-
tives are stockholders in national
banks, and in mining and manu-.
featuring industries. The value of
theiI shares is likely to be considerably
Influenced by the pending legislation on
the tariff. and the greatest difficulty has
been experienced in adjusting the tariff
duties to suit the varied interests.
Brice, Camden, German and several
others are concerned in coal enter
prlses; the Michigan senators and one
of the Wisconsin delegation are largely
interested in lumber; The Nevada, Colo
RADIO. Utah and Montana senators are
heavy owners of stock in silver mines;
while there is scarcely member of
either body who does not own stock in
or hold official relations OF some sort
with some of the numerous manufactur-
ing companies. These men cannot be
reasonably expected to be impartial in
their action on matters that concern
their own profit or the profit of their
associates, and 1t almost Invariably hap
pens that the people are made to suffer
in order that the corporations may be
benefited.
But how shall this state of affairs be
reformed? Few men accept the Office of
senator or representative for the salary
and the honor attached to it. They
have some Interior object. If not po-
litical ambition, it is pecuniary profit,
and this they will attain without regard
to the law. They may be able to qualify
by transferring their shares in corpora
lions to relatives. Senator Stewart no
doubt. told the literal truth when he de-
clared, during the silver debate, that he
did not own dollars worth of stock in
silver mines; but it was practical lie,
for his wife owned millions of dollars
worth in both Nevada and Mexican
mines. 1t is an easy matter to whip the
devil around the stump in such affairs,
and the law. no matter how strict, can
be easily nuliified.
The law proposed by Senator Allen, no
matter how meritOriouS in its purpose,
would be dead letter, as is the present
law prohibiting senators or representa-
lives from holding Office in national
banking associations. The statement of
the facts may indicate low grade of
morality among our statesmen, but it
cannot be disputed that such conditions
exist.
All corporations are more OF less in
terested in national legislation. and
they take good care that no one hostile
to them is elected to either branch of
congress. Their agents are present in
all political conventions of both parties,
and their influence is felt in the legisla-
lures when United States senators are
to be chosen. And these senators are
only too often the paid attorneys of the
trusts and monopolies, receiving fro m
them stipulated salary, and earning it
by betraying the interests of the people
they were chosen to serve. The time
will come, however, when such law
as that proposed by Senator Allen will
be imperatively demanded by the peo-
pie, and will be rigidly enforced. 1t is
necessary now, but public sentiment is
not stringent enough to secure its strict
enforcement. There is little prospect
that the bill in question will ever emerge
from the committee room to which it has
been consigned.
Init 10 lict,