The advocate., 1895-09-11

OmnlpOtenG power OF Sn0 corporations.
Of this statement he says:
Granting this to be overdrawn-Hor am un.
willing to believe that corporations are solely
responsible for our municipal misgovern.
ment-the fact remains that bribery and cor.
ruption are 80 general as to threaten the very
structure OF society Universal suf-
frage, which 1t was confidently supposed
would enure to the benefit Of the poor man, is
so skillfully manipulated as to rivet his
chains, and to secure to the rich one q pre-
dominance in politics he had never enjoyed
under o restricted system. Probably In nc
country In the world is the influence Of
wealth more potent than in this, and in nc
period of our history has it been more power.
full than now,
Discussing the remedy for this con
dition Of things, he says:
Whether the blame lies chiefly upon him
who gives or upon him who receives bribe
1t 10 evident that the temptation must be re.
moved, either by destroying the inducement
or by elevatiug the character Of those who are
charged with the administration Of the gov
ernment. The fault Is not that Of one class
alone. II the higher classes eVade their just
responsibilities, the lower will not fail to
profit by their example. II the rich are seen
to escape taxation by briblng assessors or by
fraudulent removals from the city, the pool
will not hesitate to avenge themselves In the
coarser way Of accepting bribes. Whether
the remedy for this lies in raising the char,
acter Of the electorate by limiting municipal
suffrage to property-holders, or in govern.
ment by commissions, Is q question which
will not fail to demand our attentive con.
sideration. The great unansWeTable argu,
ment In favor of universal suffrage, Ia
not that II insures better or purer govern
ment, but that all must be contented with o
government In which all have an equal voice
Ifit be deficient in this particular II 1t fail to
protect the poor against the oppression Of the
rich, or the rich against the destruction OF
their property by the poor-in short, If the
representatives Of the people betray their
trusts, 1t is pro tantO a failure, AID another
method OF representation should be adopted.
II we cannot have government by the whole
people, let rs have government by the better
classes and not by the worst.
That our government does not pro-
tect the poor against the expressions
of the rich and that the representatives
Of the people do betrsy their trusts are
facts that will hardly be disputed.
Justice Brown regards bribery and po-
liticsl corruption as the cause of this.
AS remedy he proposes a limitation
of the ballot to property-holders. eff
we cannot have government by the
whole people" he says, "let US have
government by the better classes and
not by the worst" Intelligence, edu-
cation and honesty do not count In
this classification. The possession of
property is the sole requisite distin-
gushing the "better" from the "worst'
classes. Is the acceptance of a bribe a
greater crime than the giving of it I
Is the man who gives bribe better
citizen than the man who receives it 7
If the influence Of the bribe-tSke
tends to corruption and bad govern
ment, will the influence of the bribe-
giver tend to purity and good govern.
mentp Hardly; and yet Justice Brown
proposes to purify politics and estab-
lish better government by depriVing
the bribe-tsker of the ballot while the
bribe:giver is still to exercise that privi-
lege. His reasoning is too transparent
and its purpose too clear. The speech,
taken as q whole, breatheS spirit Of
cruelty and despotiSm, and, coming
from the source it does, it constitutes
ona 20 4ho ;Ddiookio,,o of kba nurnooo