The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-09-29
By the Confessions of Geo, w.
Perkins and j. A. Mccall.
WHAT PARKER SAYS.
All the Big Corporations Contributed
Money tosihe Republican Campaign
Fund last Year, and the Men
Who did 1t Should be
Punished.

So fuhisheo'
Former Chief Judge Alton B. Par
ker, last yepr the Democratic candi.
date for President of the United
States, In an interview at Esopus, N.
Y, recently, referred to the charges
made by him in the Presidential cam.
paign last fall, that corporation funds
were bainglused in aid Of the Republi.
can campaign. To a correspondent
OF the Associated Press who called at
Rosemount, Judge Parker's homo, and
asked him II he had anything to a
In relationStO the statement made by
Vice. President George w. Perkins, OF
the New York Life Insurance Com.
pany, before the Legislature COM
mite Investigating the insurance
business, 70 the effect that President
John A. MCCALL, Of that company,
had caused o contribution Of about
$50, 600 to;be made last year to the
Republican national campaign fund,
Judge Parker said:
Yes, Ifbelleye l ought to say, now
that there is no political excitement
to d~istrsopp the public attention, that
the president OF the New York Life
was not the only such contributor.
The officers Of other great life insur.
anoe companies, such as the Equitable
and the Mutual, also contributed
from the policy holders fund for the
campaign purposes last year. The
u'derlying principles which divide
the greattpiass of the people into par.
Ties have no effect upon such men.
Their one inquiry is, will the party
organization In its hour of triumph
rememberaou our generosity and respond
to u demands? OF course, the or.
Ranization does remember, for 1t OK.
poets a. similar contribution next
time. And the expectation is not In
vain. Last year was not the first
time. Steh contributions had been
made befgse tn national, State and
municipal olections.
The ~ sefs responsible for these
81 Urea 1ies $ofs corpora.
eions have received their reward In
unfettered management Of different
insurance corporations; in unembar.
rassed raids upon the public through
trusts--condemned by both common
and statute law; In refusal to punish
criminally the officers Of railroad and
other corporations violating the laws;
and In statutory permission to manu-
facture corporations and to levy tri
butte on the people.
There can be no hope Of checking
tho unlawful aggressions Of officers OF
great corporations 50 long as they may
thus form q quasi craftsmanship with
tho organization OF the dominant DO.
litical party. For In the hour when
the administrative official seeks to
punish the offender, he Is reminded by
the head OF the organization Of the
magnitude Of the contributions Of the
corporation.
There Is, however, something
worse, If possible, than the escape Of
such Offenders from Justice. 1t is the
gradual decentralization Of voters and
the dulling Of the public conscience by
CGe efforts 20 make thsse vast sums of
money procure the ballot they were
intended to procure, corruptly and
otherwise.
What has been proved in the case
OF the New York Life will undoubt.
edly be proved In the other cases.
The facts exist and honest and able
counsel backed by an honest commit
tee Will undoubtedly bring them out
for the public good.
Were there an investigation OF
railroad, manufacturing and other
corporations 1t would be found that
these corporation officers who put
their hands into the treasury and
took out moneys belonging to widows
and orphans to help secure a partisan
triumph.
That their acts were unlawful
and their purposes corrupt goes with
cut saying. They intended to have
the money used, as 1t was, In corrupt.
Ing the electorate. Mr.. Perkins
makes the poiut that Mr.. John A.
Mccall, the president OF the New
York Life, Is a Democrat. Appar-
emily he would have the public as.
sumo that when Mr.. Mccall unlaw.
fully and wrongfully contributed
these funds-the company's share
probably as a member Of the under.
writing syndicate-it was evidence OF
political virtue, rather than miscon-
duct.
The truth about 1t Is, and / say
1t without feeling, but emphatlcally,
that men like Mccall have no politi
cal convictions that stand in the way
OF their personal advantage. Such
men desire the triumph Of that party
which will better serve their personal
financial interests and wlu--for CON
trlbutionS, past, present and future
continne to protect these interests by
lenient legislation and by pretense at
execution Of law which shall be ten
derby blind to all their o)fcnSes. That
party they espouse in the court room,
and contribute to 1t Of the moneys
they hold in trust, and occasionally a
little OF their own.
1t 10 not my purpose to claim that
the Democratic party, subjected to
the temptations which have overcome
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