The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-09-27
New Series-Vol. XIV. No. 10
PARKER,s CHARGE PROVED.
New York Life's Confession to Giving
$4,000 to Republican Campaign
Fund.

date for president Of the United
States, in an interview at Esopus, \.
Y, yesterday referred to the charge
made by him in the presidential cam
paign last fall, that corporation funds
were being used in aid Of the Repub-
lican campaign. To a correspondent
VINO called on Judge Parker and
asked him il he had anything to say in
relation to the statement made by
Vice President W. Perkins, of the
New York Life Insurance Company,
before the legislative committee in
vestigating the insurance business, to
the effect that President John A. Nc
Call, Of that company, had caused
contribution of about $4,000 to be
made last year to the Republican no
tional campaign fund, Judge Parker
said:
"Yes, I believe I 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
officers of other great life insurance
companies, such as the Equitable and
the Mutual, also contributed from the
policy holders fund for the campaign
purposes last year. The underlying
principles which divide the great mass
of the people into parties have no eff
feet upon such men. Their one inquiry
is will the party organization in its
hour of triumph remember or gener-
osity and respond to our demands? OF
course, the organization does remem-
Der, for. it expects similar contribu-
ton next time. And the expectation
is not in vain. Last year was not the
first time such contributions had been
made before in national, State and
municipal elections.
'The officers responsible for these
raids upon the treasures of corpora
tons have received their reward in
unfettered management of different
insurance corporations; in unemhar-
rassed raids upon the public through
trusts-c by both comrAon
and statute law in refusal to punlsn
crinainally the officers of railroad and
other corporations violating the laws;
and in statuatory permission to manu-
facture corporations and to levy trib-
ute on the people.
There can be no hope Of checking
the unlawful aggressions Of officers OF
great corporations so long as they may
thus form a quasi-partisanship with
the organization Of the dominant po-
litical party. For in the hour when
the administrative officials 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 grad
nal decentralization Of voters and the
dulling of the public conscience by
the efforts to make these vast sums OF
money procure the ballot they We're
inten6ed to procure, corruOtly and
otherwise.
What has been proved in the case
of the New York Life will undoubted-
ly be proved in other cases. The
facts exist and honest and able coun-
sci backed by an honest committee
will undoubtedly bring them out for
the public good.
Were there an investigation Of
railroad, manufacturing and other
corporations it would be found that
these life insurance officers were not
the only corporation officers who put
put their hands into the treasury and
took out moneys belonging to widows
and orphans to help secure partisan
triumph.
That their acts were unlawful AMI
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 Mr. John A. Mccall, the
president OF the New York Life. is 4
Democrat. apparently he would have
the public assume that when Mr.. Nc
Call unlawfully and wrongfully con-
tributed these funds-the company S
share probably as a member of the
underwriting syndicate--;t was evi-
dence Of political virtue. rather than
misconduct.
The truth about it is. and | say II
without feeling. but emphatically that
men like Mccall have no polucal
convictions that stand in the way OF
their personal advantage. Such men
desire the triumph OF that party
| which will better serve their personal