Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-09-14
WHAT RAILROADS CON-
TRIBUTE TO POLITICS

Much has been written of the pow
er of railroad corporations on our pol
tics. 1t is true that in many states
certain railways maintain a political
staff. With them it is business
Eatter They seek to protect their
property from the unjust eXactions OF
legislatures and public officials. 1t
must be remembered that certain
class of politicians and legislators +
constantly endeavoring to strike
railroads. That is, certain people get
ur adverse bills and demand pay for
defeating or dropping them. The rail
read officials fight fire with fire.
Sometimes they stop blackmail by
gathering within their own control
The power which shall make attempts
u blaclmail harmless. Being thus
led into political activity in
self-defense now and then a rail
road having on its staff men
Of genius for politics oyerplays
its hand and seeks 10 co@tro!
with absolute sway the actions Of one
Icr both parties within state, setting
Hp or pulling down mea ct will. Doubt
less it is true that IN At least one
third of the states railroad irfluGaca
is paramount in the affairs Of one or
both of The political parties but if IS
rot directly through the use of money
that these roads operate The pass
the little pink slip of magic charm
is their instrumentality Imagine the
Dcrsuasiveness of free transportation
il the tribe of politicians who are
ever on the move from town to town.
attending local and state conventions
ard fixing UP their little schemes II
many q state the politician who pay
his way is a curiosity. The railroad
PISS is one Of the potentialites Of GOV:
el nment in car sreat and glorious
country
Twenty years a@o the manager of I
presidential campaign who had IN
h@nd a fund of three or fopr hundred
.hoa35nd dollars to defr8y the expens-
ea of h.s operations thought himself
alulent. Gradually the sum required
by national committees grow an
grew, Until IN 1896. hfah.0atcr mari
MAS reached BY the late Marcus \
Hanna in his manipulation Ct the
eaHpai4n for William HciziaIa@
Through NJ. Hanna hands.
3ear passed a sum falling hat 1r75=
ander six millions Of dollaes. am
solt aware of the fact that taz a.aouet
6as been often given much hiahar fg=
Hee. reaching. in some instances, to
fftean or sixteen millions Of dollars.
y. gou}se Cochran said in the hou,
e representatives last spring Whe
lis own campaiao ezHeeses were u
1al discussion. that he understood
Tat NJ Hanan had uae1 a total ct
about fifteen millions. But NY l9for=
nation comes from coed aush9rits=
The actual sum raised and expended
hy Mr.. Hanna was within a few thou
ends Of the sum have aamea
Thar is little d0ubt that. if il had
been deemed necessary to compass
he defeat Of #iliam J. Bryan, twice
as much could have been rated. 50
great was the alarm among men Of
means over HE danger which menae-
ed the standard Of values that all Mr.
Hanna had Ia do was to write DOVE
on a slip of paper the amount h
thOHeht a bank, a corporation or an
individual should pay, and in nearlz
every instance the assigned sum wa
promptly checked to Cornelius N
Bliss. the treasurer of the committee
The largest subscription, | have beea
told, came from an insurance cOmpa-
ny, and amounted to two hundred
thousand dollars. One railroad COM
pany gave one hundred thousand dol
lars Eight or ten railway companies
subscribed one-fourth as much each.
Probably a hundred Or more banks
and trust companies sent their checks
fo1 from ten to twenty thousand dot
lars apiece.-Walter Wellman in Sep
tcmber "Success'