Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1903-10-29


wrongdoing against them. Now,
nineteen of these glvers and takers
of brides have faced juries, and have
received from two to seven years in
! the penitentiary; others have turned
states evidence. Bribery could hardly
have been more extensive than it was
In St. Louis under Republican rule.
The Democratic party has exposed It.
In the state, faithless Democratic
! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS took brides and
distributed bride money amongst SEN
| ators. Laws have been sold for years.
| II the confessions of senators be cor
! rect. Legislators have had thousand
dollar bills more In mind than they
have had the public interests. Corrup-
ton even stalked up to a former Gov
ernor of the state and attempted to
nave him make state appointment
for money. While, of course, the ma
| jority of Senators and Representatives
have been honest, yet 1t is clear that
legislative proceedings have been
honeycombed with bribery. It seemed
to be nothing unusual for legislator
to prostitute his official powers for
gain. The developments are but the
indication of a diseased condition Of
| the legislative service. Instead of pub.
lie office being a public trust, to
many 1t was a private snap. They have
outraged every sense of honor and
decency, and have insolently Haunted
their corruption in the faces of the
people.
Duty Of Democracy.
While other cities no doubt have
been as corrupt as st. Louis, and the
officials Of other states as venal as
some of those in Missouri, it is true
that at no time or place has so much
official corruption been laid bare as
here. Those who believe in free gov
eminent are looking to Missouri to
see it indicated by a righteous
citizenship. There is in Missouri a
responsibility for the suppression Of
these evils that the Democratic party
cannot escape. On the Democratic
| party the duty rests primarily of cor
recting this disgraceful and shameful
state of affairs, because it is the party
| in power. The Democracy, If true to
| its high mission must be the party Of
| good government and civic righteous
ness. The Democratic party stands for
the greatest good to the greatest num-
Der. 1t does not matter that corrup-
ton exists in Republican states; let
them attend to their own house-clean-
| ing, while we drive the public plum
derers from Missouri. The fact that
there are corrupt men in the Republi-
can party in no wise excuses the DEM
ocratic party from getting rid Of those
| in its own ranks.
The Democratic party is not cor
rupt party; If thought so would
leave 1t. There are corrupt men in
all parties. No party can be blamed
for corruption unless it .condones cor
FNptlon Ia some way The only rea.
sonabie denaild npon any pals il
FIRST not 70 elect men Of bad oiH ulit
full character and second when such
have by mistake been elected to turn
them out and punish them to the ex-
tent Of the law. There IS no room IN
the Missouri Democracy for boodler.
| Corruption is an issue confronting the
Democracy that overshadows all other
| issues, for whenever corruption rears
its hideous head in any state, there
is presented an issue before which
all other issues are Insignificant.
Seriousness Of Crime Of Bribery.
Other problems concern the func.
tions of government, while the SUBJ
| ject of the eradication Of bribery goes
to the very existence of government
itself. Under our form of government
all authority is vested in the people
and by them delegated to those who
represent the people in official ca
pacity.
If there be an offense greater than
Ill others 1t is that of him in whom
UGH sacred trust has been reposed,
no sells it for his own gain and en-
hment Other offenses violate the
y, while bribery strikes at the
- undation of all law. Bribery is more
fatal to civic life than any other
crime. 1t aims at the assassination
of the commonwealth itself, 1t makes
the passage of laws mere matters of
bargain and sale, thwarts justice, en-
thrones iniquity and makes lawful
government impossible. If all official
acts were for sale, we would have
a government not Of, and fer, and by
the people, but a government of, and
for the few with wealth enough to
purchase official favors.
In constructing this government OF
which our great state is a part, our
forefathers exercised a wisdom unsur-