The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-09
Saturday. May ., 1908.
A POINT OF VIEW.

In the course of the examination of District Attorney Jerome, against whom charges have been preferred al- leglng that he should be removed from office by Governor Hughes, he was asked with regard to his opinion of the contributions made by the insur- ance companies in 1904 to political par ties. He stated 1t as his belief that the companies were justified in making campaign contributions that year be- cause they feared the effect of an un- desired outcome of the election upon their business. A similar view has been expressed by United States Senator Bulkeley, who said to a congressional committee that he had given literally to campaign funds in order to escape what in his judgment would be se- rious blow at the prosperity of the company over which he presides with such marked ability The opposite view is that all corporations, receiving their right to do business from a public franchise or charter. should be forbid den to contribute to the funds of a po- litical party in order to avoid the pos sibility of becoming corrupted by the unnatural contact.
 There is no doubt that when District Attorney Jerome was urged by the press and by various organizations to proceed in the case of insurance ofi- cials who had authorized the appro- priation and expenditure of other peo- ple's money for the election of cer- tain political ticket, he reached the negative judgment he did because it had been the practice. for many years for corporations to give to party funds at the solicitation of representative party leaders. The practice had become legitimate, or was considered legitimate because 1t had been notoriously in. dulged in without serious protest. He was probably right, too, in his judg ment at the moment that the proposed prosecution Of the alleged sinners would take them unawares; that even though in the sudden disclosure of the prac tice as improper q new light overlook the public, 1t was yet to be determined that crime had actually been com mitted. There Is no reason, however, tc believe that in the light of public sen timent today upon the subject of cam paign contributions, and in view of tn, passage of laws forbidding chartered corporations to give to party funds, h' would acquiesce in any such practice He had to deal at the time with a sit uaton made black by the character O the general revelations with regard t' loose corporate methods. As has bcel said before, up to that time 1t wa agreed among party managers that was legitimate to seek for support o a financial character among the ricI corporations. It was understood on tn part of the public that the corporation did give. 1t was the sudden revelation Of what the corporations gave for tha provoked a lively feeling of resentment and settled once for all the illegltimac of the practice.
 Just as the insurance inyestigato led to a new understanding of the re sponsibility of insurance officials to wards the care of other peoples money so other like Investigations led to a appreciation of the cunning involved l asking for and receiving campaign con tributions from industries which dc pend upon the favor of the state fo specific rights and privileges Very fe' today who have given the subject ma ture consideration, believe that tn insurance officials were deliberate male factors They grew gradually into tn practices which 1t is now clear wer wrong in morals and in principle Tn was unquestionably Mr. Jerome's vic when he was asked to prosecute thes officials He could not have been blin to the improprety of their acts, u moment he ill company with the re' of the country were awakened to tl impropriety of them, but sudde awakening under the circumstance must have appeared to him as scare, ly q just .cause for criminal proceed ings. Sc the money end of the invest gaton, with it's sudden revelation , hidden meaning, in his sober judgmel at least, did not justify bis proceedir against men who had merely dor what men ln every part of the count