Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-08-21
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POLITICS

OF TING DIZZY.
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Cor-uptionists and Grafters.
1t is a matter of great satisfaction
to Democrats that none of their lead
erS have been found identified with the
numerous corruption, grating and
fraud scandals so far exposed. The
reason for this is that the Democratic
voters look much more closely into the
character of those whom they select to
represent them and keep much closer
watch OF official doings than the rank
ana NE OF the Republican party does.
Direct primaries are the rule in the
Democratic party, while with the Re
publicans the corrupt caucus system is
still almost universally maintained. Re-
publican nominations are almost al
ways manipulated by the inner ring of
leaders, who give the word that the
ring candidates must be supported nv
the followers of the machine and are
enabled to force such nominations IN
most cases through the power of pub
lie plumber. The Republican voter who
refuses to register the choice of the
machine leaders is marked for political
slaughter, if he should be bold enough
to offer himself as candidate. In
the distribution of national. State and
local offices the Republican reformer
has no part or lot The meanest graft
ers III the ranks are preferred to the
honest and independent voter who dares
to dispute with the Republican boss the
availability or honesty of his selections.
Under such system, in which cold
cash and patronage of Office are the
chief handspring, it naturally follows
that corruptionists and grafters have
been selected for appointiye offices, to
the great scandal of the Republican
party and its loss of the respect of
most honest voters. Not content with
filling offices, both national and State,
with many most unworthy recipients,
many of those elected TO Congress and
the State Legislatures have deliberate
" refused to carry out platform prom
Uses or the will of their constituents.
This has been going onSfor years, until
the exposures came and The people can
be fooled no longer.
The voters of the United States are
now in housekeeping mood and it will
be difficult, if not dangerous, to try
and get them to Slight the job. White
washing is unpopular and slurred-ovar
investigations are laughed to scorn by
the honest voter. He is in no mood to
be trited with and is rampant for re-
form, and experience shows that when
aroused to n full sense of the corrup-
ton and grating he has been the vic
tim of he will be satisfied with moth
ing less than real reform. Experience
also shows that when the independent
Republican voter cannot get what he
wants from his own party he turns the
rascalS out and tries the Democrats,
on the principle of a new broom sweeps
clean and as a salutary lesson to his
OWE party.
There is a very natural reason why
the corruptionists and grafters have
gravitated into the Republican party,
for that class of politicians has no re-
gard for good government; he is a
spoils-monger pure and simple. He al
ways joins the majority and stays with
it as long as it pays him to do so. AS
the Republican party has virtually been
in power for forty years, the Demo
Gratis during that time having only con-
trolled all branches Of the governmantt
for two years, the CRATER has stuck
like leech to the &. o. p. Those In
politics for the money there Isl In it
have therefore all become Republicans.
fol- the enormous patronage of he Pres
iGent and the vast corruption funds ex-
torted from all classes of co aporations
have enabled the Republican, leaders to
more than crafty the longings of the
grafters for place and pelf, so that the
national Republican machine and most
of the State machines are entirely dom
mated by the worst element An the
party.