Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-12-21
POLITICAL CORRUPTION.
Buying Legislators and Voters 60
Practiced by Republican
Tricksters,

Tricksters.
Corruption of the voters at elections
Is the primary cause of nearly all the
evils in American politics. When the
root is diseased it is useless to expect
a healthy and well developed plant,
and likewise when the voters are cor
rupted the body polite is sure to be
distempered and unsound. If only the
most degraded voters could be corrupt
ed the bad effect would not be so dis
%astrous, for such would be but a small
percentage of the whole, but unfortu-
nately some of the well-to-do, who are
considered respectable people in their
communities, are equally venal. There
has always been, perhaps, some cor
ruption of voters and bargaining with
Or purchase of officials, but the climax
was reached at the national election
Of 1896, when every one who could be
discovered that was open to convic-
ton was offered inducements to vote
the republican ticket. Boys just of
age and about to cast their first vote
"NAS NSbduIhCu WIFI IllS vast Ouulo
Of money furnished by the corpora
tions and banks and the tariff-fostered
trusts, the life insurance companies
and all the host Of those who were
holding some special privilege to plum
der the people. Evidence has been ac-
cumulating of the extent of the polit-
ical debauchery in that campaign and
in those that have followed. A species
OF political CRATER has been bred that
nothing but stringent laws will sup
press and the evils that have develop
ed Will take years to eradicate. The
democracy has, fortunately for that
party, not been tempted by money do
mated by the combines and corpora
lions to buy men like sheep in the
shambles and thus has escaped politi-
cal prostitution, as, a party, but indi-
vlduals, heretofore counted as demo-
Gratis, have sat on the fence until they
got their price"
Public opinion in some states became
so aroused to the evils that prevailed
that corrupt practices acts" have
been passed by the legislatures. but
none have gone to the root of the evil.
To compel candidates for Office and
their committee to report under oath
the amount of money they have re-
ce1ved and disbursed is utterly useless
as a remedy. Such publicity can easily
be evaded, for the candidates, or the
official committees OF parties, nigh
not expend a cent and yet there could
be gross corruption employed by 9TH
ers, who occupied NJ known political
position and who, in fact, might not
even be known by the candidates.
DR.. G. F. Taylor, editor of the Medi-
cal World, in the November issue of
that journal calls attention to the chief
feature of the English corrupt prac-
tices act" which was enacted to abol-
ish similar conditions that prevailed
there in the last century. He notes
? that the chief feature of the law is
self-operattve, for it substantially pro-
, vides:
eff the defeated side can prove that
the successful side used corrupt meth
ods-purchased a vote or cheated in
l any way-then the victory is vitiated,
{ and the minority party assumes Of
. fee" And he further says: This
v causes a contest for purity as well as
3 for victory; for victory without purity
is likely to be turned into defeat. How
much better this is than our method
of %contending for victory regardless OF
9 corruption. The result is that corrup-
ticn is rife, almost everywhere in our
electoral system"
A provision, such as above, in a cor
rupt practices act in the several states
would act as an incentive to all the
: friends of candidates to be watchers
u at the polls and detectives to discover
political corruption.
Not content with furnishing the
money to buy voters, the corporations
a who have special interests depending
g upon legislation also disburse nor
nous sums to purchase city councils,
legislatures and even congress. The
d lobbyists who barter for the votes of
a the representatives of the people are
e quite as dangerous as the primal brib-
d ers of the voters, and more difficult to
: convict and eradicate under the pres
d ent system, for their work is done
y with but little chance Of exposure III
d less the thieves fall out or some one
o turns states evidence.
Voters should be impressed with the
fact that all these vast sums that are
IL spent on political debauchery have
a been first taken from themselves under
a the form of legalized robbery. BY pre-.
venting this corruption they will al
the same time protect their W peck
cts. In a short time the many would
Il have a fair share of what now goes to
u the few and national honesty would re.
- suit.