The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-11-23

only able to control it by the votes they |
got through vice and its allies.
There is opposition to reform in all
cities, and it always comes from two
sources: politicians and business inter
ests. Mr. Steffens said that he had in
vestigated state governments and found
Doodle and corruption, conducted in the
same way and by the same class of
men as in the large cities. There was
the same opposition to reform, coming
from the cities that were unreformed,
from the business interests, and from
the United States government.
J The effect of corruption is what is to
be feared in the graft system, for 1T
makes the government represent those
business interests that seek privileges.
''The fault is not with those men but
with us, the people," said Mr.. Steffens.
1--WE divide into two parties about even
i " divided, and that leaves the balance
of power and control to the worse ele
ments. In Connecticut votes are sold
for cash. New York. where there is a
large foreign population of poor people,
the votes are sold, but not for cash. The
ward bosses are good fellows there. They
kiss the babies, arrange picnics for the
poor, get them out of Jail, when one
dies they see that he gets decent
burial, and for all that they expect the
votes of these people.
Graft is a privilege to break the
laws. The federal government is what
we call good. There is no bribery in
it, but there is graft. We know little
about it, but when the lid was lifted
off of two departments there was found
to be stealing with the connivance of those
above When an attack on graft is
planned. it is considered as long as
bit of foreign policy, which shows the
strength of the opposition to be en-
| countered. Bristol undertook to eradi-
cate the graft in the postoffice depart
ment, but went home with the work
undone. The secretary of the interior,
who undertook the same task in his de-
partment, is good and brave man, but
is now on the point of resigning,"
The government has a system of
graft that reaches the United States
senate and the house of representatives.,
and has been organized by experts. The
house is organized in a combine just as
a board of aldermen is in the large
cities. The same is true of the senate
1t has a steering conlmittee',or boss The
boss of the United States Us not at
Washington. and he is no one man. SEN
ator Aldrich is chairman of the steer
| ing committee of the senate, except
as it has been broken up now by the
president of the United States, who is
the president The men who control the
senator's are the same as control the
states legislatures. Not all of the SEN
ators are thus controlled, but the great
majority of them are. They are told
what to do, and do it much better than
the legislatures and boards of aldermen
do. They do what does business the
most harm, and this is also true of the
state legislatures. This is what graft
means. The national government does
not represent the people.
''What are we going to do about it ?"
Mr.. Steffens said that he formerly
thought that business government by
business men would drive out the poll
ticians and give business government.
He now thought that this would do no
good. The insurance companies are
governed by business men. the Equit-
able having officers and directors com
posed of the greatest business men in the
country, but boy, dude, young Mr.
Hyde. had control of the company, and
organized it like board of aldermen
The business men submitted to boss
that the New York politicians would
not think of submitting to. The same
thing had been found in the other in
surance companies, done in the same
wav. bv the same kind of men, to the
same end Then came business reforms.
but they did not come from the boards
of directors, which was significant
fact. Styvesant Fish was the only of
fetal who demanded a good investiga-
ton. and seemingly as a result he was
thrown out of the presidency of the Hi
nois Central railroad. The companies
had to go to the rotten old state of
New York for an investigation and re-
forms. Bad as it was, it was better than
the business men who were directors and
officers
The chief graft was not disturbed, for
it was what might be called legitimate
graft The surplus of the insurance com
panies is the principal part of the loan
able funds in the United States, and the
companies are comparable in this re
spect with the bank of England The
control of these funds is of great i'm
portance to the business interests. Har-