The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-25
OGDEN DEPT.
RERHLD BRUNCH OFFICE
5l3 UTAH LOAN & TRUST BUILDING.
Ogden. August %.
MONEY IN POLITICS.

palgn IS permissible, and, in TACT, an
absolute necessity. No political fight
however insignificant, can be made
without the expenditure of some
money by some person or persons con-
nected with the management of the
business.
To provide money for the necessary
expenses it is usual to assess the adj
herents of the party, or rather re-
quire voluntary contributions from all
who feel disposed to help out the cause
and in the case of candidates the as
sessment is obligatory, and is gener-
ally based on a certain percentage Of
the salary of the office to which the
candidate aSpireS, and he is required
to pay without any assurance that ne
will ever draw the salary which he has
discounted in advance. This is all right
TO a moderate degree, but it is a de-
cided evil if carried to extremes land is
a positive injury to the public service
in many instances.
Burdensome expenses are often piled
upon the campaign managers which
they are obliged to meet, and to do so
they have to resort to extraordinary
means of raising the necessary cash.
And men of means and especially cor
porations that of necessity are more
or less affected by legislation are ap-
pealed to to supply the money that is
wanting after every other source of
supply has been exhausted, and the
result is that this power behind the
throne" Chat is individuals and cor
porations with a selfish interest to
serve) has in many instances absolute
control of the machinery of govern
ment and neither the party nor the ben
eficiaries (the candidateS) can ignore
the demands made upon them when
the interests of the people at
large and the powers that be conflict,
because if the official rebels, he sub
jects his party to the withdrawal of
the support of these individuals and
corporations at the next election and
the party, in order to retain this neces-
sary support, is obliged to dump the
refractory official overheard.
Utah is just entering upon the
threshold of statehood, and it is we'll
known that no new state that has been
admitted in recent years is more to be
desired under the control of certain
corporations than this one.
Without going into details, suffice 1t
to say that the interest Of one corpora
ton or individual with corporate in
terests at heart is practically the same
IL
lions should become factor in Utah
politics. That community Of interest
which bind all similar enterprises To-
gether would make the new state
prey to the whole herd.
The only protection against TINS
encroachment on the rights OF the
people is with the people themselves.
The use of money beyond the payment
of legitimate campaign expenses
should be discountenanced, both on
the part of campaign committees anu
candidates. What is reasonable anu
lust should be met by the members OIL
the party generally with possibly mou.
crate additional assessments against
candidates.
There is no reason why a candidate
for anv office should be expected to
contribute an amount equal to his first
wears salary if elected towards cam
naign expenses. No man seeking EN-
nloynent of firm or corporation is
exnected to pay a premium in order 10
secure the employment. Yet men VINO
seek employment in the public service
OCCUPY the same relative position as
the employee of a firm or corporation
for value received they perform
certain labor-with the very general
exception that the public official does
more work for less pay than the man
who works in a private capacity.
Heavy campaign expenses ofttmes
prevent capablu men from seeking en-
ployment in the public service because
they realize they cannot afford to be
candidates; first-because of the
heavy expense coupled with the I'M
certainty of election, and second, II
elected the salary they earn, or d
great portion of it, will have to go to
in
vass; and in either case they are IN
bad predicament and it is no wonder
that very frequently the public service
is made to suffer under such circum-
stances because the relief from his en-
barrassment may very naturally come
from a. source where the account can
be squared by some slight favor being
rendered at the proper time.
Already in this country it is very
apparent that men who aspire to posi-
lions on the Republican state ticket
have been put to unnecessary ana I'M
expense merely to secure
the election of delegates favorable to
themselves in the county convention.
This is unfair to the candidates and
the people, because party fealty should
have induced the members of che party
to choose their delegates without re-
curing the candidates to make any
effort. Without casting
any reflection on the gentlemen who
are striving for preferment because it
is not charged that they have used
money corruptly, it may be safely
stated that at the present established
pace it will cost any man who secures
a Republican nomination on the state
ticket half a, years salary just to get
his name written there, and at the
same ratio, if he keeps up his end I'M
til the close of the campaign, his en-
tire salary for the term will have been
and then he will not get
the Office.
The Democrats will not countenance
such methods, and attention is called |
to this matter at this time and at
length more to set the people thinking
than for any other purpose, because it !
has been limited very strongly that in
the legislative fight, at least in this |
county, it would be a Doodle campaign, |
and it would seem that from recent |
developments the insinuation is not
only true of the legislative contest, but |
for the whole ticket.