The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-24
MACHINE GOVERNMENT.

MACHINE GOVERNMENT.
So much information of lively
character with regard TO men and
things is being passed out these days.
that one must drink In all sides in Or
der to approximate the truth. One
minute II is President Roosevelt. who
by taking a friend into his confidence
gets the ear Of the public. The next
minute It is Mr.. Bryan, whose fulmin-
atoms are hourly. The next II is Mr..
Taft. setting forth in judicial language
the faith that is In him. Then comes
Mr.. Hearst with a hne string OF hor-
nets, which he let's loose with des-
tructive energy. So the battle goes.
1t is decidedly worth while for a
moment to listen TO John D. Archbold,
the vice-president Of the Standard OH
company. He has said something
which Is not only true, but which Is
useful as illuminating why this coun-
try has been cursed for so long .
time with selfish political machines
1t Is an old and familiar saying that
professional politicians are not In the
game for their health. Mr.. Archi-
bold shows why and in what way they
make their gains. He draws an mag
mary picture Of business concern,
whcih has grown large enough to at
tract the attention Of law makers or Of
that class of lawmakers who want
money. They look the field over and
submit proposed law. which prom
ises to remedy certain abuses. 1t is
talked about and commended In the
ways known TO the machine "notwith-
standing. II may be filled with gross
injustices that will work serious in
Jury to every one. What has been
the habit of the merchant? He has
either bought, or he has let a little
Of his money out. The law has been
dropped and matters 80 along for
time until some other politician gets
hungry. That condition has existed In
this country for years. Every busi-
ness man knows II. do not have
TO talk palmer. Business men have
been held up"
There is no doubt but that there Is
large measure Of truth In this state
ment. II there were not, we should
not have political machines TO the
vicious extent we do have them. We
are not talking about the political or
carnations, which exist for the pur-
pose OF getting the vote out and man
aging campaign. We are talking
about that combination Of men, which
exists In every state In the union,
which makes It's money out of the leg
islature when that body Is In session,
either by representing In the lobby
large interests, or In event Of large
interests not retaining their services
by introducing bills which the large
interests have to buy of. That is ex-
actly what Mr.. Archbold means; that
and nothing more or less, and It ID
we'll that 1t Is said at q time when
the aroused consciousness of the peo-
pie makes It possible for them to con-
tinue their studies In vicious govern
ment along broader lines.
1t has been the practice, as Mr..
Archbold says, for the interests at
tackled to pay up. Personally he says.
IT believe, and have preached the idea
that the Standard Oh company would
have been much better off II we had
been more open with the public" No
one can question the accuracy Of this
Judgment but the difficulty has all
along been, that the public, by blindly
letting a political ring master them,
have aided the ringsters In their VIC
ious designs. If the management OF
the New Haven railroad, for instance
could be caught In a communicative
mood, or If any Of the other public
service corporations could be caught
In that mood, information OF char
acter confirming Mr.. Archbold would
surely be Forthcoming. And 1t has
been this blind subservience to the
political machine on the part OF the
public that has not only made 1t ex'
ceedingly difficult, II not impossible
for the corporations to beat these
pirates on their own ground, but has
made 1t easy for the machine to plar
operations months ahead and to ex'
tend their power into every little vot.
ing hamlet until they control the des'
TIMES OF the state Itself.
Corporation men are no better mol
are they worse than the average rur