Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-15
Mr.. Root on Campaigning.

Mr.. Root, who never discusses an i'm
portant subject without contributing some
thing Of value. said in his Yale address
at New Haven Monday evening:
The greatest, most useful educational
process ever known in the world occurs
every four years In the United States, when
during presidential election some 100000
voters are engaged for months in reading
and hearing about great and difficult ques-
lions of government, in studying them, in
considering and discussing and forming
matured opinion about them. We some
times hear complaints that elections in
terfere with business and come too fire.
duently- On the contrary, nothing else IL
30 valuable and important for business,
because IL Is this educational process that
is laying the solid foundation of sound
Judgment. sober self-restraint and familiar
ity with political questions among the gov
erning mass. upon which the security Of all
business depends
Doubtless there have been abuses in
raising and applying campaign funds. but
In the main there is no more useful expen-
diture of money from the public point of
view than this, which in the last presi-
Dental election, according to official state
ments. amounted to only about 31s cents
per capita for the people OF the United
States on one side, and probably less on
the other, for the great bulk of 1t is ap-
piled to the political education of voters"
No contention could be sounder than this
respecting the frequency of our elections
Voters should be kept constantly inter-
ested and we'll advised in all matters of
government, city. state and national. Pub
lie servants should be called upon fire.
quently for an account of their steward
ship. The whole pool Of affairs should be
kept well stirred. In no other way Is there
hope OF honesty, efficiency and progress
One of the very best provisions in our
national life Is the short term of members
Of the House-the who control the
purse. hold the initiative in the case of
taxation, and in of impeachment
present the articles of complaint. They
must shows the people every two years;
and the wedding out that constantly goes
on is of inestimable value to the country.
Incompetent, or unworthy, representatives
soon cease to represent.
1t is true also, as Mr.. Root says, that
money spent in keeping the public well in
formed about public matters is well spent
Campaigns in so big country are them
Selves necessarily big. A big sum is re-
auired to make a big mare go. There can
be no just complaint that score. This Is
probably the first time that the question
has been presented in it's per capita aspect
and three and n half cents head would
afford no ground of criticism, If all the
money spent in the last presidential contest
had been raised and laid out legitimately.
But both parties received contributions
from Questionable sources. and laid out a
good deal of 1t in any other way than the
enlightenment of voters. The republicans
have been the more chaffed on the subject
because Of certain New York exposures. but
when We consider the men who secured the
nomination Of Judge Parker, and then from
headquarters hard by Wall street financed
the campaign. we need be in no sort Of
doubt about what was done. or how little
the enlightenment" Of the electorate was
factor.
Publicity about campaign collections and
expenditures is highly desirable and I'M
doubtedly nominations should not be bought,
nor legislation sold. But there is no more
difficult problem than that of correcting the
evil we are all complaining of, and it seems
useless to bar illegitimate campaign ex-
penses until in some way agreement has
been reached as to what they are Why not
a committee, headed by some man of
high class to consider and determine how
campaign money should, and should not,
be spent?