The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-11-03
Joseph w. Folk at Omaha.

POlltlcal pdrCleS are lOT tue pulpooc
OF serving the people. Men work out
principles and announce their pur-
poses through their parties. l believe
in the principles of Thomas Jefferson,
equal and exact justice to all and spe-
ciaI privileges to none. believe with
my party in the freedom of the press
and the freedom of men. believe that
the constitution is the best rudder
with which to guide the ship of state.
A solemn and serious responsibility
goes with your right to cast a ballot
week from next Tuesday. That right
does not belong to any clique, gang,
party or railroad. All power is in the
people. They are sovereign. You can
take what belongs to you, or you can
abdicate the throne of American man
hood. You can get as good a govern
ment as you deserve. When the cor
poratiOns run the state. the danger or
corruption instantly arises. | believe
in giving the corporations just what
they are justly entitled to. have no
sympathy with the demagogue. who
rails at them because they are corpo-
ratiOnS.
In investigating corruption in my
own state found that in almost every
instance the first step Of the legislator
toward bribery was in the acceptance
OF railroad pass. In our state 1T is
against the law for an official to ac-
cept pass. 1t is not SO in Nebraska,
but the moral status is the same. The
legislator often starts out with the
highest motives, but he is seduced to
take pass, and the rest is easy Next
he is found taking bride money When
. re takes the, pass from the representa-
tive of the rni]rOad he violates our
law, and is from that fiicz1scnt as putty
in his masters hands. II ne REFUSES e
do as desired, the corrupter blandly'
asks, How would you like to have the
number of your pass publisher and
like a serf in dungeon he does as he
is bid
Boodlers march under all flags. They
are not democrats or republicans or
populists, but are criminals, and ought
to be treated as such by all political
parties. My party in Missouri has
taken new step. If the experiment
proves to be along the line OF good
politics, all the other states will be
following its lead, and an end will be
put to this corruption all over the
land. Ii it proves to be bad politics,
which it will not, Doodle will reign
supreme from one end of the land to
the other.
In 1893 promoter from New York
came to st. Louis like a thief in the
night. His tO0i5 were greenbacks and
gold. He paid out $250,00O to secure
the passage OF a franchise bill, the
Central Traction bill. Twenty-Five OF
the twenty-eight members of the house
OF delegates were paid $4,000 each for
their votes. OF the three who refused
to be bought, two, strange to say were
lawyers, and the other, stranger still,
was an insurance agent Seven mem
bers Of the council were paid from
$4,000 to $17,500 each, and one was
paid $4,000 to vote for it. He was also
given $4,000 to vote for it, and upon
reflection he sent back the $4,000, say
ing that he did not believe he could
earn it III Voting AGAINST the bill. He
later returned the Soo, and de
manded 100000. The promoter leitts
as soon as the bill was passed, and the
councilman pursued him to New York,
where he finally secured $4,000, but
for it signed certificate of good char
acter for the promoter, saying that re-
ports of his corrupt work were untrue,
and that 81 am in position to know
that you are as far above offering a
bride as | am above accepting it,
In the last three years there have
been more prosecutions in Missouri for
boodling than there had been in all
parts of the United States in fifty
years. Now many of the states are
following in our lead, My opponent in
this campaign complains that it is a
bad thing for our state; that it is
printed and repeated all over the coun-
try that we have boOdlers, and that it |
is disgrace that Injuries the state.
According to my way of thinking, |
the disgrace lies in the liberation and
not in correction. The only way to
stop it is to drive it into the broad |
light of day and crush it wherever it |
rears it's ugly head. Because of this
course Missouri has been held up as a