Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-08-02
EPOlLSMEN AND GRAFTERS.


Why They Naturally Gravitate to
the G. O. p.
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
and file 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.
Republican nominations are almost al.
ways manipulated by the inner ring of
leaders, who give the word that the
ring candidates must be supported by
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 De bold enough
to offer himself as a candidate. In the
distribution Of national, state and local
offices the Republican reformer has no
part or lot. The meanest grafters in
the II are preferred to the honest
n independent voter who dares to
dispute with he Republican boss the
availability or honesty of his selections.
Under such a system. in which cold
cash and patronage of office are the
chief handspring, it naturally follows
that corruptionists and grafters have
been selected for appointive 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
ly refused to carry out platform prom
ises or the will of their constituents.
his has been going on for years, until
the exposures came and the people can
be fooled no longer.
The voters of the United States are
now in house cleaning mood and it will
be difficult, if not dangerous. to try to
get them to slight the job. White
washing is unpopular and slurred over
Investigations are laughed to scorn by
the honest voter. He is in no mood
to be trifled with and is rampant for
reform. and experience shows that
when aroused to a full sense of the
corruption and grating he has been
the victim Of he will be satisfied with
nothing less than real reform. Expert
ence also shows that when the indie
pendent 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 own party.
There is a very natural reason why
the corruptionists and grafters have
gravitated into the Republican party.
for that class of politician has no re-
gard for good government-he is a
spoilsmonger pure and simple. He
always 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
Democrats during that time having
only controlled all branches of the
government for wv years, the CRATER
has stuck like a leech to the G. 0. ?.
Those in politics for the money there
is in it have therefore all become Re
publicans, for the patronage
Of the president and the vast corrup-
ton funds extorted from all classes
of corporations have enabled the Re
publican leaders to more than crafty
the longings of the grafters for place
and pelf so that the national Republi-
can machine and most Of the state
machines are entirely dominated by
| the worst element in the party.