Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-09-18
THECAMPAICN FUNDS
Alton B. Parker on Perkins
Admissions.
OTHER CORPORATIONS CONTRIBUTE
Judge Says Insurance Men Were MOI
Only Officers Who Unlawful1y Put
Hands In Treasury to Rob
widows and Orphans.

NEW YORK, Sept. 1S.-It is prob
able that the admissions made under
oath by George w. Perkins before the
insurance investigation committee con.
corning contributions aggregating near.
ly S150,000 made to the national Re
publican campaign funds on the joint
authority of John A. Mccall and him,
self, acting for the New York Life In.
suranee company, may be made the
basis of civil suits by the attorney
general of the state to force restitution
to the policy holders of the sums so
contributed.
On unimpeachable authority it is
stated that the further prosecution of
the investigation by the legislative
committee during the coming week will
be conducted with view to the prob
ability of its forming the legal basis
for such civil suits.
Former Chief Judge Alton B. Parker,
last year the Democratic candidate for
president of the United States, has re-
ferred to the charges made by him in
the presidential campaign last fall that
corporation funds were being used in
aid Of the Republican campaign. To a
correspondent who called at Rose
mount, Judge Parker's home, and ask
ed him IL he had anything to say in
relation to the statement of Vice Pres
ident George w. Perkins Of the New
York Life Insurance company made
before the legislative committee inves-
tigating the insurance business to the
effect that President John A. Mccall
Of that company had caused a contri-
button of about $4,000 to be made
last year to the Republican national
campaign fund Judge Parker said:
yes, 1 believe l ought to say, now
that there is no political excitement to
distract the public attention, that the
president of the New York Life was
not the only such contributor. The Of
ficers Of other great life insurance COM
panies, such as the Equitable and the
Mutual, also contributed of the policy
holders funds for campaign purposes
last year. What has been proved in
the case of the New York Life will un-
doubtedly 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. sal,e ,a7g
Were there an investigation of rail-
road, manufacturing and other cor
porations it Would be found that these
life insurance officers were not the
only corporation officers who put their
hands into the treasury and took out
moneys belonging to widows and or
phans to help secure a partisan tri-
umph.
THAT their acts were unlawful and
their purposes corrupt goes without
saying. They intended to have the
money used, as it was, In corrupting
the electorate. Mr.. Perkins makes the
point that John A. Mccall, the presi-
dent Of the New York Life, is a Demo
crat. Apparently he would have the
public assume that when Mr.. Mccall
and wrongfully contribut-
ed these funds-the company's share
as a member Of the under.
writing syndicate-it was evidence Of
political virtue rather than misconduct
The truth about it Island / say It
without feeling, but emphatically-that
men like Mccall have no political con-
victions that stand in the way Of their
advantage. Such men desire
the triumph Of that party which win
better serve their personal financial
interests and will-for contributions
past, present and future-continue to
protect those interests by lenient leg
islation and by pretense at execution
of law which shall be tenderly blind to
all their offenses. That party they
espouse in the board room and con-
tribute to 1t Of the moneys they hold
in trust and occasionally a little Of
their own. The underlying principles
which divide the great mass Of the
people into parties have no effect up
on such men. Their one inquiry is,
Will the party organization in its hour
of triumph remember our generosity
and respond to our demands? OF
course the organization does remember,
for it expects a similar contribution
next time. And the expectation is not
in vain.
There is, however. something worse,
II possible. than the escape Of such Of
tenders from justice. II is the grad
ual decentralization Of voters and the
dulling Of the public conscience csus-
ed by the efforts to make these vast
sums Of money procure the ballots they
were intended to procure. corruptly
and otherwise. How great that de-
moralization has already become is
fairly presented by. Mr.. Steffens in his
articles in McClure's, contributed dur
ing the last few months. Those arti-
eles ought to be read and pondered
by every good citizen. Mere party adj
vantage should not be sought from
the disclosures made in this investiga.
ton. but the facts should be diligently
sought. that the people may become 50
aroused that they viii insist upon leg
islstion making IT a criminal offense
for officers to contribute corporate
funds for political purposes and de-
priving the apparently successful can
dIdates Of their Offices"
Aluminium in Spinning Mills.
Ora n the DISADVANTAGES n urooSs-