The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-10-02
SEDUCING THE SOUTE
FAIRY STORIES REGARDING THE RE-
FORM CLUBS WORK.

Its Real Object Is Education and Not Cor
ruption - Small Fund Magnifed Into
Millions-uow It Spreads Information.
Influence and Scope.
We clip the following from The Jour
nal of Commerce and Commercial Bull
letin Of Sept. 8. This is the leading
commercial journal of this country, and
its statements show that the Reform
Club, instead Of having millions Of dol
lars, which it is spending for corrupt
purposes, really has a small fund which
it is spending for educational purposes.
1t is, in fact, snpplementing the work
done by our schools and col]eges-or
rather it is doing work that they should
have done:
A Texas paper is manifesting great
distress over a corruption fund Of ST.
500, 900 said to have been raised by the
Chamber Of Commerce Or the Reform
Club, or each of them, for the purposes
of seducing the south from its loyalty to-
the long suffering and down trodden
white metal" This money, it repre-
sents, is being disbursed TO secure the
control Of newspapers aud to buy votes
for sound money candidates for legisla-
lures and for congress.
This corruption fund is a nero night
mare. 1t does not exist. 1t is as baseless
as the cargo of gold that Ernest Scyd
was declared, in q Colorado affidavit,
to have brought from London and used
in brihiug congressman to commit the
crime of 1879" Children and sayages
easily believe in fairies aud spooks and
the supernatural in various manifesto
tions, 5ut why will grown men, who
wish .tobe reputed intelligent and sensi-
BILE, disgrace themselves by repeating
such nonsense?
The Reform Club has not yet succeeded
in raising $50, 600, and it has not spent
quite all it has raised. All its disburse-
ments have been in support Of its publ
cation Office, except a tri1e that has de-
frayed the expenses Of some public meet
ings. The Chamber Of Commerce com
mittee has probably raised less money,
and its expenditures haye been of the
same general character.
The Reform Club has bought or hired
no southern paper. Much less has il
bought Or hired any southern politician
The belief in the Reform Club is thai
the southern silver men are honest, bu'
m%isiDformed, and that any attempt t
influence them by money would be fu
tile and resented as an insult. Th'
southern papers that are printing tn
literature issued by the Reform Club ar
doing it because they believe OF thei
readers believe in sound money. Th
matter is supplied to thom, aud the.
print it if they wish it, and it does nc
cost them anything. But they are nc
paid to print it.
The Reform Club has issued NOR
than /, 900, goo copies of the 10 number
Of its regular publication, Sound Gu,
rency," in editions varying from 5000
to 800, 900, according to the adaptabi
ity Of the various numbers for populs
reading. 1t has supplied 'broadsides,
which have been folded into countl
newspapers and issued as supplements
500 papers, having all aggregate circul;
iton Of s ,210, which gives an avera,
Of 800. This is getting sound cursen'
|, literature into the hands Of the farme
in the back counties, who see only Of
newspaper and do not often get to pu
lie meetings. This is getting backof t
I local boss or the leading politician
the sovereign voter himself. OF the
papers 900 are published in the soutbe
states, including Kansas i'll the sout
western group, aud these papers have