The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-02-20

Continued from PaGe One.)
dian Territory. except from some OF
the Indians. and Indians don't count;
at least they have never counted. To
the union of Arizona and New Mexico
the opposition is 50 bitter that it is
almost impossible TO get the truth
about it here in Washington. All
that's certain is that somebody mot a
| reporter this time) is lying dreadfully
and that the big special interests in
these territories are against the bill
This is enough for eur present pur-
pose. The opposition a a majority
Of our House; enough of our repre-
sentatives to beat the bill signed a
paper promising to vote no" Yet a
majority voted yes and the bill was
passed. Thus our President beat
the system again with the systems
" political organization in our
House.
But look at the victory and see what
it cost. How wa it Won? The under
standing here is hat q hin was
dropped as from the Speaker to the
effect that if our representatives were
good on the Statehood and Philip
pine tariff bills. he might (there vas
no promises; the understanding had
it only that the boss "might) open a
pork barrel
What is a pork barrel? There are
several kinds of pork, but all barrels
contain this one ingredient in com
mon: a big appropriation Of public
money to be expended widely over the
country. Bribery? Graft? No. A
pork barrel isn't necessarily either a
Gribe or 4 graft; it IS only treated as
4 graft and it just happens to operate
like bribery. The pork barrel expect
ed is a public building bill. Post Of
fees and other Federal buildings are
needed in many places. The Speaker
thinks We can't afford the money at
present, but your average represen-
t2tiVe doesn't care about that. and
reither does he are whether his dis
trlct actually needs q federal building.
And he says You don't care either. He
says Cnany of them have talked this
way to me) YOU haven't any more
sense of our common interests than he
has; not as much. He says that any
thing lie can get on OF all of us for
YOU, his particular constituents. will
act upOn YOU like n bride. So that if
he, by selling out his vote to the
House combine. can get a federal
building for you IN his district. Won
won't care how he votes on Statehood
or the Philippine tariff; YOU viii re-
elect him 10 misrepresant himself and
YOU in the hope that he will get some
thinG more out Of al OF US for YOU.
IN other words. YOU want a Represent
NdttNe MO gets lnl2SS d0ne"-foT
YOU
Is he right? If your" Congressman
gets you a public building this wear,
watch him preen himself over # when
he returns home and the notice the
effect II has on you. That's the way
TO tell whether a pork barrel onerates
IKE political corruption.
Whatever your answer. however
opening pork barrels is a fvpfcai
method OF the s.-stem. This is VIVA.
may be called Legitimate" bribery Of
oongressmen and perfectly proper cor.
ruptlon OF Us, the people. 1t is humi-
hating. but it works The system can
pc worked against the system itself.
Tor as We have seen, by it's means we
got our bills through the House.
me Weakness Of this whole policy
OF comoromise is that while it NAV
result IN the enactment Of certain laws
-oI me good. it Will not make
our representative of the
common good. Even If he is success
1GI' the President. BY playing with
The machine, viii have left he avs