Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1902-10-16
UNcLEAN POLITICS
Prof. Vincent Exposes . Scheme to Trap
the Unwary by Hypocrisy

tho Unwary by Hypocrisy
One of the. most reprehensible meth
DDS of the tax-shirkers that has yet
been detected was uncovered a few
days ago in a western county.
1t is proposed to sneak into power
in the nypocritical garb of virtue.
The robe of religion is to cover the
forms Of corporate agents until after
election"
The character assassin is to stalk
forth in the guise of a Sunday school
superintendent or a minister OF the
gospel, until after election!"
1t is not the first time religion has
been made the cloak for wrong doing.
In all ages, and in all countries, schem-
ing and designing men have used as
tools the devotees of religion.
Do not mistake us. We are not at
lacking any church nor churches, nor
any religion, but only the scheming
men who are now using religion as a
cloak for their villainous plots Of
character assassination.
One and two years ago certain relig-
ious enthusiasts organized a secret and
underground organization pledging
it's members to support only clean"
men at the polls-but a committee was
given power to select the clean men"
after all nominations had been made.
If such an organization were open, and
composed of good citizens Of all relig-
ious denominations-a sort of "com-
mittee of public safety"-little could
hN noiI oroi0ct ~ hut urhnp If DC or
gained in the dark-a secret cabal-
it comes to be a veritable dagger aim
ed at the most vital spot-the charac-
ter of whomsoever is attacked. 1t is
like the Italian Mafa-plunging it's
death-dealing stilletto in secret and in
darkness.
Political success is so highly priced
by those who would continue in power
the agents of tax shirkers and tax
fiXers that they have resorted to this
dangerous method of warfare. We do
not say that the Methodist church
consciously has undertaken this role,
but scheming men in that church are
seeking to do their unclean work while
hiding behind religious robes. Relig-
ious enthusiasts are to be deceived
NY lIlCdl JILL duu leu luCo OIL
ambush until after election"
An organization is being engineered
by men in the Methodist church, and
men of other denominations are to be
inveigled in occasionally to give 1t a
non-sectarian and ultra-religiOus cloak
The "avowed" purpose of this secret
cabal is the election of clean men"
to Office.
If there were unclean men-socially
or religiously-on either of the tick
cts before Nebraska people, there
might be excuse for such a plan to
defeat them, but when it is conceded
that all the candidates on all the tick
cts occupy an unusually high plane,
morally and religiously, what excuse
can there be for such unusual, drastic
and un-American methods?
The animus of the whole thing is
understood when we remember that
Mr.. Mickey is a Methodist. His sup
porters have published far and wide
the fact that his active support secur-
ed many thousand dollars to help a
Methodist college. 1t is proposed to
keep such things prominently before
the membership of the secret organi-
Zation and at the close of h cam
paign the committee who is to name
the clean men will include Mr.. Mick
ey among those recommended for the
votes of the members. A change OF
ONE vote in each voting precinct
would mean a change of about 1000
votes in the state, and a change Of
FIVE in each precinct by this hidden
1--J 49, 11ra$ noho1 Would oGC11r.
eddy work a complete reversal OF the
verdict that would be rendered by the
people in an open and manly contest.
The prize is worth the effort. The
corporations rode rough-shod over a
political convention and secured the
nomination of Our Man Mickey"
around whom they could easily throw
the cloak of religion and with hypo-
critical p~retense they hope to secure
his Endorsement by the people.
The utter hypocrisy and bastard viii
lainy of the conspiracy is understood
when it is recognized that the oppo-
nent of Mr.. Mickey, and the man whom
it is proposed to stab in the dark, is
everywhere recognized as fully the
peer, if not the superior, of Mr.. Mick
ey in his devotion to the best inter-
ests OF society, socially, religiously and
ed~ucationally. MIR. Thompson has been
in public life nearly or quite as much
as Mr.. Mickey, and the undisputed
fact that his administration Of the
Office of mayor of Grand Island is
warmly Endorsed and commended by
every reputable citizen of that city,
of all church denominations and every
political party-that fact speaks in bu-
gle tones of his uprightness and for
the "cleanness'' of his personal and
official life.
And it is proposed to stab him in
the dark by the i%nsinuation that his
life has been unclean. by indorsing
another man as being "clean!"
Those character assassins would not
dare utter a word directly against MI.
Thompson. His life is above re-
proach. His family is the pride of his
city. His personal efforts for the ben
eft of a college of another denomina-
ticn have been as valuable to that in
stitution as were Mr.. Mickey's efforts
for the Methodist college, but his
friends have not sought to use that
fact as a bait with which to steal votes
But give them time and they will
1narn