The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1900-08-29
A LITTLE LIGHT
On How the Republican Party Gets Campaign
Cont, buttons.

On How the Republican Party Gets Campaign
Contributions.
Baltimore sun.
According to a dispatch from Chicago
the late Coils P. Huntington, for vari.
GUS causes and considerations moving
him, had pledged TO the Republican
Campaign Committee the good, round
sum of 81 100000. OF this comfortable
contribution Mr.. Huntington, it is said,
had promised to give one.fourth person
ally, and he undertook to raise the rest.
1t is also understood that the death of
Mr. Huntington is serious financial
blow to the imperial junta, as this un-
fulfilled promise, not being in the form
OF promissory note, cannot be filed as
claim against tha estate.
While the courts might refuse to en-
force this claim upon the ground L at
the consideration is not such a one as the
law recognizes, still Mr.. Hanna no
doubt considers it valid and binding in
politics, a domain in which, according
to another high Republican authority,
he Decalogue has no place. This con-
sideration, according to current rumor,
was the "holding up" by the senate OF
the Nicaraguan Canal bill, which had
passed the house by large majority.
The bill is still on the senate files, but
the situation is all "baled up" to use
current slang phrase, by the action Of
the Nicaraguan government in repeal.
ing the concessions which the United
States expected to secure. Whether
Huntington and his friends in the ad.
ministration had anything to do with
that repeal does not appear. The only
thing certain about the whole matter is
that the construction of the canal would
largely decrease the power Of extortion
exercised by the transcontinental rail.
ways, free the throats of the people of
California from the grasp Of a giant mo.
nopOly, and so decrease the money value
OF Mr.. Huntington's railroad by many
of dollars. A million dollars is
a big SUN of money, but it is mere
bagatele compared with the value oi;the
mo lopoly shared by Mr.. lIuntington's
roads with one or two others.
This rumored arrangement between
the Republican committee and Mr..
Huntington illustrates the modern prac-
tice OF applying trust methods 70 lobby.
ing, enacting on defeating bills, as the
case might be. In the olden times, and
even at the dresent time in some of the
states which are slow to adopt new
things, it was the practice Of an individ-
ual or corporation-say a railroad cor
poration-that desired the enactment or
defeat of bill 10 deal with individual
or numerous individual lobby
ists Now the same result is accom-
plished in far more respectable and
more facile manner. There is usually a
boss in command OF legislative assem-
bly,, and the applicant for favors goes to
that eminent imperialist and makes his
request, Offering contribution 10 the
llAlEh AlANu Nllt hpnH blhtlh
the congress or legislature, AZ the case
may be, to pass or defeat the bill. Some
such influence touched the Republican
National Convention, and it contains no
pledge to construct the Nicaraguan
ANAL, although it was the general un-
lerstanding that such pledge would |
De made. But the draft of the platform
vas changed into vaguely favoring ian
sthmian canal"
What becomes of these big contribu-
ions TO campaign funds is matter Of
peculation. All OF the money does not
20 to the purchase Of votes nor to the
egitimate expenses of the campaign.
some pockets are likely lined with a
,ood part of il.