The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-09-05
GOOD CITIZENSHIP AND BRIBERY.

Do good citizens engage In bribery
and vote buying: Is the bride taker
worse than the bride giver: asks the
Spokane Spokesman Review. These
questions naturally arise from a re.
cen article in the Washington Post
ia which it was asserted that '':here
is no doubt that public opinion is very
much opposed to vote buying by bad
men. The difficulty is that public
opinion not only c%ondones, but ap.
proves vote buying by good men.
There's the rub. If good men would
cease the practice, we would soon put
a stop to it by bad men. And this we
may be assured of-bad men will buy
votes so long and no longer than good
men set the example,"
Public opinion has shown strong
growth in recent times in its hostility
to vote buying. Its influence is dem.
onstrated in the attempt that Is being
made to run the approaching cam.
paign on funds obtained by dollar
subscriptions. If no more money is
expended than comes from these sub
scriptions it may be taken for granted
that there will be very little vote buy.
ing.
There are, it is true, those who oc-
cupy prominent positions because of
public and private virtues and
are counted as good citizens, yet are
known by some to be aiders and abe..
tors Of bribery. They simply prove
that the worlds estimate of them is
The public conscience, If full.
ly awakened, would see that the claim
Of these men to rank as good citizens
is barred by what is rightly held TO be
an Otfense against moral rectitude. 1t
see that if the bride taker is a
bad man the bride giver is equally
bad, and that it cannot be said of
him, "a good nan is a bride giver."
Time is coming when a construction
different from that now accepted will
be put on the word "bribery." In
fact, the dawn Of the change is already
above the horizon of public thought.
Political patronage, as in the past
distributed, has proved the most
threatening form OF bribery. Through
its workings all classes of incom.
potency and moral lack have been elc.
waited to positions Of trust and respon.
sibility. No thought vas given to the
fitness of an aspirant to appointive
position. The only matter really
taken into consideration was his
power for vengeance. Gratitude, even,
oftener than not, did not enter into the
selection: hence, men with neither
character nor merit to commend them
are Often placed where incompetency
aided by moral lack make, them mem.
ace to the probity Of u institu.
tion-.
But this form of bribery is also dis.
appearing, through the influence Of
republican reform, as fast as is com.
patible with present conditions and
forms. Temptation is being taken
from the reach Of politicians who in.
terpret the democratic doctrine. "To
the victor belongs the spoilS." too lit
orally.
President Roosevelt has taken de.
partmeut after department from un'
der the influence of the spokesman
with benefit to the services affected
and credit to himself and party, and
these results are making for a change
that commeuds the action to all but
the so.called ''honest' persons who
>till engage in prostitution of powe,
for alleged political purposes. bu
really with an eye 20 selfish accrua
or ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.