Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-18
WILL THIS BE THE END OF 1T.
Practice of Securing Political Con.
tributions from Corporations.


Senator Culberson of Texas has intro
duced a bill which makes it a felony for an
insurance company or any other corpora
ton to contribute money or anything OF
value toward the election of a president or
vice president of the United States.
The bill also makes 1t a felony for any
person to knowingly use for such campaign
purposes any money contributed by COR
poration. The bill, finally, prescribes
penalty Of not less than two years or more
than twenty years Imprisonment.
Heretofore 1t has been hard enough to
secure the services OF workers at the polls
as everybody who has any knowledge OF
the difficulties attending the management
Of political campaigns can testify, even
when the inducement is So a day and the
hope of political preferment If the right
side wins, As a rule the work OF manning
the polls is shirked by those who are most
influential and active in precinct politics.
and IL becomes too often necessary to Sc
lect for this purpose gentlemen who are
not on the most intimate terms with the
best people in the district
Harder still will II be to secure poll work
ers when it becomes a question Of doing
ones duty by ones party and getting any
where from two to twenty years, or not
uOiiS uuly 10 one party ana losing
s. and a Job in the court house or city hall
You tell me-" the ward worker will say
TO the ward boss
You tell me that will receive s. for my
service. That is tempting, but where did
the So come from? You got it from the
campaign committee? Yes, but where did
the campaign COMMITTEES get it? How does
it happen, let me ask. that the campaign
committee has money to pay for my serv-
ices? Subscriptions? Yes; from what
from whom? From private citizens inter
ested in the welfare of the country? Who
are they? Name them. And where did
they get the money which they have sub
scribed to defray the campaign expenses
OF our party-a party for which ! would
be willing to make any reasonable sacrifice
short of going down the road for anywhere
from two to twenty years?
you tell me this money is not tainted?
How do I know? The fact is, | suspect
perhaps unjustly, that it is part Of a con-
tribution handed in by a man who is en-
gagged in a business which is more or less
dependent upon the success OF a business
which is closely identified with a business
that is deeply concerned in the uplift of
business that is allied nearly or remotely
with corporation whose business might be
affected by the result of this election.
II am poor l am ambitious. / am 4
loyal partisan. | would do almost anything
TO serve the gentlemen whose names appear
on this ticket But have a wife and eleven
small children besides a large assortment
of pephews, nieces and second cousins, de-
pending upon me for support True, So on
general holiday would help. Every little
thing helps. But what would s. he to me
or to them if as result Of accepting this
probably tainted money / should have to be
absent from the scenes OF my legitimate
activity for from two 10 twenty years?
"Desist. foul tempter! Besone! ! hate
like the dickens 10 miss a fiver which ap-
parently comes so easy, but my manhood
rebels against anything that savors Of any
| thing like polluted currency. Go, seek one
| who is willing to surrender his freedom
| for ilthy lucre' ] am not Of that mold.
! Better poverty and an easy conscience than
! IS for chance OF missing everything that
! is likely to happen in this interesting town
| for the next two 10 twenty years"
! The question is, Does Senator Culberson
realize what will happen IL his bill shall
| become a law? Does he see that he is try
| ing 10 sound the doom of the campaign
| fund-the doom, perhaps Of the campaign'
II ne does not. some Of the senators from
some Of the other states should point out
| the danger 10 him.