The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1905-07-15

belonged to a syndicate contended that
he and his associates must not, should
not and could not be classed with
boodlers. He said:
I'VE are reformers: we have cleaned
out the senate. There are no grafters
on our side of the fence. BY preventing
graft we have killed the game. Since
we have bosscd tho job there hasn't
been Doodle bill got out OF commit
tee; there hasn't been a sandbagging
resolution which got past its introduc-
tion stage"
Some OF the boys" however, whose
perquisites were curtailed by the opera
tons Of the syndicate took another view
OF the situation. One OF them put 1t this
way:
THE protective committee are hogs
They have all the graft and none OF us
can even get a look-in. They have
killed the game for every one but them.
selves and 1t will not be long before they
kill the game for themselves"
II 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"
Doodle is a two-handcd game. and more
often than Is suspected the first lead Is
made by men who stand at the head OF
financial, commercial or manufacturing
affairs. Such men wantspecial privileges
They must go to the legislature for
them. Special privileges, without ade-
quate compensation to the public, are
wrong. The big business men figure that
II 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
ital 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 u
penny or break a contract. Yet they will
deliberately go out to buy votes, and
make such purchases in methodical,
business-like way. In short, they look
upon every man who has seat in a state
legislature. city council or county board
as purchasable commodity. and their
consciences are so we'll 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 general awakening. They
know that the spasm called public indig-
nation seldom lasts over night, for the
public is lazy animal when it comes to
exercising its 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 eel
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
jealousies 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
ishncss and utter lack of patriotism Of
men listed as prominent citizens. y
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-
crs' leagues. citizens committees and
like bodies have directed their efforts
working on wrong lines. They should
begin their work for the uplifting of pub
lie morals by reforming the men who
head our great industrial and CONNER
cial institutions, and the best way to
reform some Is to send them to the
penitentiary. When laws are passed
which will punish the vote buyer twice
as severely as the vote seller and
which will permit any vote seller to go
free who Will TESTIFY against a vote buy
err, you will find boodling becoming u
mighty unpopular game in general as
semblies.
shall never forget, the confession
made to me by fellow member who
had gone the downward road. He lived
in a county adjoining mine. 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 were riding a
country road together, when he told me
how he fell from honesty. He said:
Il was asked the other day to sound
you; they want to get you in the game,
and promised to help them get your
vote. II get 1t for them, get $500
DO you know who II is asked me to talk
to your"
He then gave me the name OF one of
the best known lawyers in the princi-