The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1904-09-09


ia the issue in this campaign, hy tho
side Of which all other issues ARE IN
significant II Is grand thing rc
fight for Il party, but II is grandar
thing for a party TO fight for a state
The Democratic party has taken ur
the battle against corruption. No po
lltical party has ever done that he,
fore. Shall the Democratic party be
| endorsed or condemned for taking this
stand?
BRIBERY DEVELOPMENTS.
Other cities may have been as cor.
rupt az st Louis. and other states
may have had AZ much ycnality "a
Missouri, but 1t is true that at no time
| or place has so much official corrup.
ton been uncovered and laid bare as
In Missouri within the past three years
10 has been coEcmsIve,y established
that for twenty-five years not bill
OF consequence passed the 81 Louis
municipal assembly unless legislators
were paid for their votes Combines
OF lawmakCrs were Drund In both
branches OF the assembly for the pur.
pose OF selling legislation the money
going, not into the treasury of the city,
but into the itching palms Of these
officials, Franchises worth millions
were sold for bribes. These combines
would hold meetings in regular parlia-
mentary form and fix the hrIbc prices
by majority rule. The price being
fixed n member OF the combine would
be selected to receive the money and
distribute II among the officials
Bribery was the common and accepted
thing Men gave bribcs and thought
nothing OF IL; men took hribes and
boasted OF the fact Corruption in
Office was honored honesty In Office
was In disrepute. These legislators
made a commodity of legislation and
passed or defeated bills for their own
gain and not for the public gool In.
stead OF public office being a public
trust II ~as private snap They
outraged every sense of honor and de.
cency. and lnsolent,y Haunted their
corruption In the faces Of the people
II so happened that large majority
Of these hondlcrs claimed 10 be- Re.
publicans but this fact Is Of no i'm.
portance ,Xcept for It's historical IN
terest. The boodlcr aiIiliatcs with
ie belongs 10 no party. but tri"s to
have all parties belong to him
On one occasion IA new member Of
the combine was present when $500
each. bride money, was divided up.
Ho was OF somewhat tender con.
science. and said to his fellow Nom.
bers Are you not afraid this will get
us into troublcS this is bribery" The
others laid back In their chairs and
laughed at him. and said My dear
fellow. why are you alarmed? Don't
you know this has been going on for
years? Have you ever heard OF any.
one getting into trouble about IT,?
Have you ever heard Of anyone trying
to give trouble about IL? No one ever
has. and no one ever will Think Of
the politica, power we have Each
man controls his own ward. or he
would not be- here Then there Is tho
wealth of the men who put up the
money. My dear fellow, don't be
apxious M nno will doro Il, opvtl,iur
IN ne Wc car arrihilat. him If he
does" Soon afterwards the attack
came. Some fled to foreign lands;
others turned states evidence: others
begged and pleaded. hut the grinding
machinery nf iusticp drowned thafr
~, , ~,
thTeats anu SlIh'u Ih'lI 'OIa'H. lI'N
wslre pushpd tu the ycry brink of the
- ,i. ~. -. ..,......i
ShuSHi vi u'HP""' 'H'll 'h'H EId'l"H
at one ray of hope the hope of control
H., a. ,t.,.t .t,,i H. ,tt.,.....f
hns 'he p"'lliCd' 7'l""''"l III H'aapuI''
Why ia Il that bOOdlprs are taking such
nj, , r.,
AL hCllNc lhu'l'"' III po'''''dI ""al'
iust now? II Is because they rralizp
s., a.. II, .., -. ,,.,.... a. IN,
'htl lhe 'lHlS mas '"I"' "H'H 'H'N W.
either run the state or be run uut NJ
tne bthIo say, l'l US thIOI'' 'h' us
cree OF the Democratic platform and
run them out OF ihe STATE. lhtFr " no
room In Missouri for "A hpndlpr
' :" wv
In the state government the SeCOnG
hiphast nfnci,l hatroved biu trugt and
sold himself for gain. Senators have
had q ono htll. mora Il, mind tbor ,I,,,.
""u 'i''o' p"'' "''' III '''''" ''i"" ''''s
have had the peoples interests. For
vaors 4, ,h, ,,,,, ro.,,t,,,,, 80 ,,,,o,,,,.. 10
''"'"' " t"o ''''''0''''o vi "'""'''" D0
true, laws have been sold In that
hran.h -, A., o,,.,,,,,,I, O., =, I,,.
o'"hSn VI 'ho "o9eiIioi' W S'"no-ilouS
extAnt These Developments are an IN
dication Of diseased condition uI the
leg gislative service. Corruption works IKE
\ mole underground and does not come
into the sunlight to proclaim It's corrupt
purposes. 1t is the most difficult " all
ofenses to secure evidence Of and where
ons case is brought 10 light, In the nature
OF things, there must be many others
that can never be fully fcrrctcd out.
These alarming conditions are the direct
result OF the Indifference Of the people
to their own business, for the prope In
giving attention to public anuirs are at
tending to their own business ,.
SERlOUSNESS OF BRIBERY.
When one reflects on the conditions OF
public sentiment on the subject Of bribery
few years ago and thinks Of what II
10 to-day tho change Is remarkable. IL
haa not been long since bribery WAS con
sidcred a matter OF course. officials sold
their votes and prostituted their trusts
without hinderancs. Then came the eN-
posures and tho awakening The public
conscicnco was aroused 10 the cnormity
Of the crime. whloh. II tolerated, would
undermine government itself For while
Ot her gffenneB Violate the law, bribery