The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-09-22

Gave OF Policy HOidefs Money.
Money Given to Dominant Political
Party for Protection ard Leniency
i'm Legislation. Declares Former
Presidential Candidate.
Esopus. n. Y. September 17.-Fcr-
mer Chief judge Alton B. Parker, last
wear the Democratic candidate for
President Of the United States, today
referred 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
Rosemount, Judge Parker's home, and
asked him if he had anything TO say
in relation TO the statement made by
Vice President George w. Perkins, of
the New York Life Insurance Com
pany, before the legislative committee
investigating the insurance business.
TO the effect that President John A.
Mccall. of that company, had caused
a contribution Of about $4,000 to De
made last year TO the Republican ma
tional campaign fund, Judge Parker
said:
Yes, l believe | 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 lnsur-
C companies, such as the Equitable
and the Mutual also contributed from
the pOlicy-holders' funds for cam.
paign purposes last year. The under
lying principles which divide the great
mass of the people into parties have no
effect upon such men. Their one in
quiry is, Will the party OrganizatiC1
in It's hour of triumph remember our
generosity and respond to our de-
mands? Of course the organization
e remember. for it expects a sim
liar contribution next time. And the
expectation is not in vain. Last year
was 10 the first time. Such contri-
buttons had been made before in ma
tional, State and municipal elections.
PARTNERSHIP WITH MACHINE.
1.-The officers responsible for taese
raids upon the treasures of corpora
tons lave received their reward in
u~nfettered management of different
insurance corporations; in unenDar-
raised raids upon the public through
trusts-cOndemEed by both common
and statute laws; in refusal to punish
criminally the officers of railroad and
other corporations violating the laws;
and in statutory permission to man
ufacture corporations and to levy trl-
butte 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 partnership with the
organization of the dominan;
political party. For in the hour when
the administrative official seeks to pun
ish the Offender he is reminded by the
head of the organization Of the mag
nitude of the contributions Of the cor.
poration.
There is, hawever, something worse
if possible, than the escape of such
offenders from Justice. 1t is the grad
ual Generalization of voters and the
dulling of public conscience caused by
the efforts to make these vast sums Of
money procure the ballots they were
intended to procure, %corruptly and
otherwise.
NOT THE ONLY SUCH CASE.
what has been proved in the case
of the New York Life will undoubt-
eddy be proved in the other cases. The
facts exist, and honest and able I'll
, sci backed by an honest committee
, will undoubtedly bring them out Tor
the public good.
Were there an investigation of rail
road, manuf2 curing and other cOrpor-
atoms, it will 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 til
umph.
THAT their acts were unlawful and
their purposes corrupt, goes without.
saying. They intended to have the
money used, as it was, in cOrruptine
the electorate. Mr.. Perkins makes the
point that Mr.. John A. Mccall the
president Of the New York Life IS a
Democrat. Apparently, he would have
the public assume that when Mr.. Nc
Call unlawfully and wrongfully con
tributed these funds-the cOmpa1y's
share probably as a member of thu
underwriting syndicate-it was evil
dence of political virtue, rather than
misconduct.
THE M'CALL TYPE OF MAN.
THE truth about it is, and I say II
without feeling. but emphatically, chat
men like Mccall have no political con.
victions hat stand in the way of their
personal advantage. Such men desire
the triumph of that party which viii
better serve their personal financial
interests and will-for contributions
past. present and future-continue &c
protect those interests by lenient leg
isIation and by p%retense at execution
of law which shall deol tenderly to al
their offenses That party theS
espouse in the board room, and con.
tribute to it of the moneys they hoF
in trust, and, occasionally, a little oi
their own.
"It is not my purpose to claim that
the Democratic party, subjected to ths
@o~oD%ot;~,e r-h;oh horn oraroomo thk