St. Tammany farmer., 1905-08-12

tioas Of the syndicate took another view
of the situation. One OF them put it this
way: .r
/ THE protective committee are hogs
They have all the graft and none OF us
can even get look-in. They have
Killed the game for every one but them
selves and it will not be long before they
Kill the game for themselves"
If were asked: what is the root Of
the Doodle evil in the legislature?" |
should reply: '"The self-interest OF
prominent men and the civic indiffer-
ence OF the respectable citizen" 81.
Boodleis a two-handed game, and more
o1ten than is suspected the. first lead iz
made by men who stand at the head OF
nnanclal, commercial or manufacturing
analrs. Such men wantspecial privileges
Ihey must go to the legislature for
them. Special privileges, without ade-
quate compensation to the public, are
wrong. The big business men figure that
1t is cheaper to pay money for votes than
TO pay money into the public treasury
for the special privilege. They have that
thought when they go to the state cap
ltai with their bills and they begin to
buy votes at once. :.
| Such men are Of the bi-standard kind:
| they have one rule for their private and
another for their public business They
would not cheat customer, steal a
penny or break contract Yet they will
deliberately 60 out to buy votes, and
make such purchases in methodical,
buslness-like way. In short, they look
upon every man who has seat in state
legislature, city council or county board
as purchasable commodity, and their
consciences are so well trained that they
never whisper when they commit the
crime of bribery.
Such conditions could not last long II
the so-called respectable citizen would
shake off his civic Indifference for two
elections, the second Immediately fol-
lowing the first. Any time the highly re-
spectacle citizen gets busy, and gets
busy the right way, the briber and his
tool in the legislature are in trouble.
But the dishonest law makers have no
real fear of a general awakening. They
know that the spasm called public fndig-
nation seldom lasts over night, for the
public is lazy animal when it comes to
exercising it's civic duties. So, when
the agitation arrives, the boodler simply
lies low, waits for the storm to blow
over, then sneaks out of his cyclone cell
lar and starts in to make up for lost
time.
| have attempted, in this series OF pa
pers, to show how partisan politics, fac
tional strife, local conditions, sectional |
1ealousies and personal ambitions
moved as factors in the great problem |
Of legislation, but the most powerful OF |
all factors for evil is the supreme self
ishness and utter lack of patriotism OF |
mel listed as prominent citizens"
Such men stand ready to send members |
of legislatures to perdition so they can
get from of the state, some things they !
have no right to.
Up to date, reform organizations, vot-
ePs' leagues. citizens committees and
like bodies have directed their efforts
to reforming legislatures. They are
WORKING on wrong lines. They should |
begin their work for the uplifting of pub
lie morals by reforming the men who
head cur great industrial and CONNER
cial institutions, and the best way to
reform some is to send them to the
peniseatiary. When laws are passed
which viii punish the vote buyer twice
as severely. as the vote seller and
which will permit any vote seller to go
free " no Will testify against vote buy
er, you will find boodling becoming a
mighty unpopular game IN general as
semblies.
I shall never forget the confession
made to ne BY a fellow member who
had gore the downward road. He lived
in county adjci1ing zine. He was
looked upon as an exemplary citizen.
Never, a word OF scandal was connected
with him, yet he, in time, became self
confessed boodler. We we're riding a
country road together, when he told me
how he fell from honesty. He said:
Il was asked the other day to sound f.
7ou; they want to get you in the game,
md promised to help them get your
,ote If get it for them. / get $500
DO you know who it is asked me to talk
o you?"
He then gave me the name of one OF
he best known lawyers in the princi-
,al city in my state a man who had been
lonored by elevation to the bench. Con-
inuing, my friend said: II
"It is that same id rascal who got
ne first. I had no intention of getting
wrong when went to the legislature. ,
had enough money of my own, and did
lot care for more. But soon after the | .
louse met l fell in with some fellows,
nd we had some good times, and good |
lines cost money. | found l was ,
pending more than should, but when ;
began to cut down expenses, this law .
er came to me with proposition. He
aid he wanted a good reliable man
q the house simply to watch things and /,
eport to him when certain bills came !
D. He offered me the place. and with i, j;
good salary. He said he did not care :
ow I voted; he did not want my vote. :
ut my information. So I said all T.
ght,' and for month did nothing bu. )
ash the checks he sent me, for thers .
ras nothing doing in his lire.
"One day bill came Up for passage. l
nd my boss appeared on the scene. =
[e sent for me, and went to his room, /;
ho fald lan dod holr a |