The daily morning Alaskan., 1901-05-17
ABOUT AMERICAN POLITICS

Our good friend Rev C'cvngcr' in hi, very iutrc>tiug lecture on The Golden Age" took. Co say che least, a yer. charitable view of American pol uic, of thc present day He coutendcd tba, as now conducted they are purer ,H1u iu former days
 IE,tor, Is rot very rcplctc with the detail, of che great political battles in ,he carly day, oi thc republic and the method, uscj by che contcniiug par u,s bu, ,bcrc |, very little record which .u-ufc, ,hg conclusion that cor rur,iou va, any considerable factor.
 The father, moo doubt regarded pol uc> a, d species oi warfare and re. sorted Co strategy and perhaps. de- ccp,ion sometimes. Co carry their points. but we believe ,hi, is che worst which can bc truly said of them
 PoE,i,, as carried ou today in an oi Che cuics oi che American common wealth are iu very great measure corup,ius in their practices The old system oi appealing exclusively Co reas- on and enthusiasm ot thc voter. has been displaced by enc which thus at tracts bu, which avail, itself of the base qua'.,ie> oi portions oi che citizenship and it, necessities
 Money |, a great disidcratum in de- termiuirI electors nowadays. and in casting abou, for nominees thc prac. ticc ot ,uborl.ulting fitness and in- tclri,y Q, obtain funds with which Co cou1uc, a campaign is almost universal lt doe, mot follow chat all nominees are bai or unfit men for office. for it very often occur, that men of means are desirable for public servants. but it is uugue,uoueI by all students of polite, tha, ,ic ability Co provide the siucV, oI war ., a powerful leverage Go political Drg.ermcnt The time gen ,rl.y speaking. when tbc poor man can bc a candidate for any oi che high CT office, |, gone by and they only ride uto power upon the crest oi some great wave oi popular Ji,coutcnt
 IT. bc member oi thc central com muce ui even onc oi che small west ,u c.ue, afford, ample 6cld for the keen observer to get a smlttcring of wha, ..,Iou. practices are rc>orted Co. rh,,e proposition, to deliver vote, at >o much a head arc brazcnly made and mbu,husy accepted There ,chrug, are matur-I for ,uHus thc ballot box and arc executed ou election day There that portion oi voter, which are poor but unpurchasab'e are made the subject of much discussion and vile plan, to brow beat or Go get them out oi che city ou election day are con coctcI These and many other things are met and disposed of as plain busi. ness proposition, iu nearly every con. mttcc.
 Candidates are assessed enormous amount, for campaign purposes. and ou thc side they have unumcrable grai,cr, and booster, employed at SO much per diem. The warl bos, the heclcr che striker che kuockcr and th cxecrab'c hauger,-on are all the product of our very modern political system. and their duty is Co corrupt thc franchise tor which they are well paid
 Fully fifty per cent of the men oi mean, who enter politics come out broke. so great is ,he financial drain It cannot be cou,ended that an thi, moacy goes for legitimate campaign work
 One candidate in Washington two years ago spent SjS.ooo 10 get elected to an office which paid only Sasoo per aunum We al know what trcmen- dous sums are used Co conduct an cleo. tiou m large cities
 American, of course do not like this statement oi facts. for they as a body are honest They like Co have their vanity ,icklcd by such statements as the reverend gentleman made no doubt in good faith. but it Is only by exposing these disgraceiul methods that they can be obliteratcd from the future annals of our politics
 One oi che greatest mcnaces to the perpctuiy oi our institutions which we love so much Is che fragrant and vicious use oi money at elections.