The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-22

Analysis of Cause. Development
cations. Magnitude Consequences.

: hardwOrking men and women who
have spent the best years Of their lives
/ in faithful service in our public de-
3 partments. They win retire IN their
old age with nothing but gray hairs to
show for weary years spent for barely
enough to maintain @ respectable eN-
] istence. There are scientists. special
i lists and professional men holding Of
/ fetal positions who work with an
I earnest. disinterested zeal which
\ would bring them fame and material
I reward IF devoted TO other than the
/ public welfare. Yet the reputation Of
such as these is smirched by their
/ forced contact and association with
the CRATER. Let us look the truth fully
] In the face. Is IL not a fact that the
/ man who holds or aspires to public
I position renders himself liable 20 the
suspicion that he is or would be dis
! honest2 Is it not a fact that men who
value their good fame and name above
I all other considerations hesitate to ac-
/ cept or compete for public Office for
] fear that their honor win be tarnished2
/ Is there not much of truth in the as
serti0n that while all Oiiiceholders are
I not thieves, all thieves would be Office
| holders? Is it not fact that the mer-
cenary violation of public trusts and
of private positions is more widespread
in this country than in any Other2 An
L unbiased study of the facts VIII com
pei one to answer all OF these questions
in the affirmative
The CRATER rules in the political
/ world. and he has extended his sway
into hundreds of the avenues of bust
ness and finance. The ineXOTable law
Of supply and demand governs and
/ determines in the world of graft. As
naturally as water seeks its level, and
as instinctively as rats discern the
scent Of cheese, does your CRATER To-
cate and reach out after the positions
where graft is possible and profitable.
Since there are more Erafters than op-
pOrtunities for grating. there is en-
gendeTed a lively. competition between
those who would fatten at public eN-
pense. Thus there is established a
market price for official positions. At
times q combination of grafters VIII
sacrifice one Of these positions TO an
honest man I'm order that in an cleo
tiOn the influence Of his good name
viii place or hold them i'm power. But
as a rule these places are sold 70 the
highest bidder. discrimination being
shown to those whose personality adds
to that popularity necessary to the
winning Of votes. No investment
yields so large returns on money eX-
pended as that which establishes one
as a CRATER.
Experienced politicians usually esti-
mate the profit at a minimum of 100
per cent.
i If man spends $4,000 in order to
/ secure. a political job he expects to
make as much or more each year out Of
I it.. Like gambling. the profits are high
because the risks are great. There
ever looms UP the shadow of the jail
I It VIII not be claimed that official sal
aries are too high in city, county,
state or nation. on the contrary, they
are too low. It will not be claimed
that there is longer any honor in serv-
ing a community while suspicion at
taches to every officehOlder. A capable
man can make more i'm a civic position
than he can in public one, and his
reputation stands in no danger It
may, therefore, be fair to assume that
the man who pays his way into an
Office purposes to rob the community
through it. No other inference is log
ical.
Tt is conceivable that an honest man
fof great wealth might pay as cam
paign assessment sum of money
, equal to his salary for tho entire term
to which he aspires. but in doing so
he evinces a sad lack of delicacy and
; | sets a most deplCrab BILE example. But
b we may quickly dismiss these figure
heads who stand as the standard bear-
ers Of the party. They may or may
b not be intending grafters. As a rule
) | they pay campaign assessments, and
large ones. In England, GRANGE and
/ Germany such indiscretions are not
r permitted. But what shall we say of
= / the aldermen who pay il assessments
q many times the amounts Of their sal
{ aries?
, What shall we say Of candidates for
, the judiciary who pay vast sums of
: money i'm order that they may be elect
ed to the most respected places within
= the gift Of citizenship? The demand
Is made from pulpit and editorial pag5
8 that no word of criticism or breath OF
% censure be directed against the bench
2 They may thus cultivate a respect
/. among the masses. but the damning
% I practical fact remains that there are
8 communities in which the highest as
r easements in proportion to the pros
{ pective salaries are levied against the
o. judicial candidates, and coupled with
e this is the additional and more omin-
e Gus fact that in many Instances these
assessments are paid, not by the can
didate. NUT my corporate and Other
interests which reasonably may expect
81 TO have litigation before the Judge
whose election is in question. Where
e there is reasonable doubt as to which
- ticket will win. il is customary FOL
D such interests to pay the assessment:
2 OF the rival candidates. No fact Is
better known to those admitted behind
2 the scenes in politics It is not ar
, agreeable thing to write about, but
/. graft is not poetic topic.
,
! We may accept is as a self evident
: proposition that the man who boys his
. way into an office intends to steal his
! way out of it. It makes small differ
ence how he spends his money; it /.
. bribery If it be devoted to the winning
T of an office. There are ways of bribery
, other than holding a man by thu
shoulder and jamming roll of bills
= into his pocket The candidate wh'
: lavishly expends money on picnics and
= entertainments for his constituents
: who distributes thousands Of turkey.
: during the holiday season; who pays
: police court fines and funeral expenses
may be justly suspected I'm most in
, / stances OF motives FAR different frolI
/ those which inspire the philanthropist
What is more significant IS the fac
that the recipients of these favOrs arr
! not i'm the least deceived thereby. They
recognize and accept them as thei
! share Of the graft. IF the donor be il
. Office they realize that he is spending
a small percentage of his stolen profits
II ne be a candidate, they know tina
4 for every dollar rislSed he hopes to win
q ten.
The type just considered may b
3 classed as professional grafters. The,
make no hypocritical pretense Of
% fine-spun morality. As a rule they arr
I no lower in the scale than the elector