The Washington herald., 1908-05-10


antagonists of home rule and to stand
Up for good government, though the buz-
yards apparently had everything their own
way"
In these words Chauncey l. FilIey, many
times chairman of the Republican State
committee of Missouri, delegate to ma
tionai conventions, nominee for governor
and national committeeman, begins a long
article over his signature in q st. Louis
paper, in which he lays open a condition
in the Republican party. State and ma
tiOnal, which. il he has not overstated it.
is remarkable for its rottenness.
The money power. Mr.. Filley declares,
absolutely dominates the Republican
party. and he details his own experience
in proof Of this assertion. Men Of princi-
pie, he says, are set aside for the servile
tools Of "the system" and Wall street
dominates the party throughout its fabric
The battle-cry Of the party in Lincon's
day, Men are nothing. principles every
thing, has, Mr.. Filley asserts, been re-
placed by the motto Principles are moth
ing, money everything" As coming from
a man who has long been In the fore
front of Republican affairs, State and ma
tional, Mr.. Filley's words are apparently
worthy of notice
Peoples Voice Manufactured"
In his article he endeayors to throw
some light on the methods IN which the
voice of the people is manufactured be
hind the scenes" how campaigns ARE
financed, and delegates to conventions
traded in as if they were live stock Mis-
use of patronage and barrels filed by
corporations are, he declared. the sinews
of war employed by the self-enthroned
managers of the party.
When the campaign Of 1892 began. he
says, and the word was passed that Har-
Tison was to be renOminated. Federal
Offices in Missouri were filled with men
who would further the programme. On
April q. of that year. he called the State
convention to order, and had so Of the
CO. votes with him on the side Of prin-
ciPles. as against machine politics. with
another We had the requisite major
ity 10 control. on the first ballot, the
selection of delegates-at-large TO the na-
uOnal convention He continues.
But instead of announcing the vote,
the chairman (now an internal revenue
collector at Kansas City, held the con-
vention f0rty-five minutes. permitting
change of votes from whom no one to-
day knows 10 Kerens, who had offered
the earth for election 10 Minneapolis
In fact. besides promises of Federal pap,
$4,000 was guaranteed, and every dele
gate impressed with nay inability to raise
80 cents fer the State campaign Federal
officials in the State and government in
spect0rs from without, were taken to the
state convention for offensive partisan
interference. That's how Kerens got
into the national convention of 1892
Brings in Warmers Name.
That $4,000 promise was raised to
S10o,o1J at Minneapolis. if Kerens could be
elected national committeeman, and with
the bare aid of his voting for himself
he did defeat the voice Of Missouri Re
pubIiclns who were for me- Despite
the promise OF this money, however, on
November . 1893, Julius Wurzburger
wrote to me. wondering why the State
committee was in debt If Mr.. Kerens
had paid up the 100000 It was all
bunkO game of the money power, whose
chief at the jefferson City convention
had stated: Money Is no object; I will
raise all that is needed, and whose con-
fdential clerk was put into the Jeffer-
son City telegraph office and put out
not only misleading, but untrue conven-
tiOn reports.
Besides, in this deal against me. War
ner now United States Senator from Mis-
souri,, then running for governor, said
that Kerens had pledged 5000 to him
for his personal campaign expenses, that
Kerens had influence East. could raise
= ~ n
Of Kerens' futures out. and all were dis
honOred at delivery time. Kerens tried
10 raise the money East and failed.
John ". Gates His Friend.
MY friend, John ". Gates. explained
TO Warner that, as one of a committee
of three appointed by me, he raised
sS5,oO0 in St. Louis for Indiana in 1855.
Later, the story was put out that Kerens /
gave $4,000 to Indiana He was not even
messenger boy The State chairman
wrote TO me that our fund was the first
outside money received in that campaign.
Gates offered his check for 5000 to
Warner for his personal campaign ex-
penses. but the statesman from Western
Missouri relied upon Kerens' futures, !
voted for Kerens for national committee /
man, and got left on them
And that was not all. Delegate votes
were bought with promises of Offices. |
But what was to be done. with a chair
man of the national committee saying
There Is nothing illegitimate in getting
votes by promises of Offices AS under |
stand 1t, that is very generally done
Says Mckinley Was Fooled.
'Kerens boasted Of having put up S25.-
900 to relieve Mckinley Of financial en- |
barrassment. MyTOn T. Herrick Of |
Cleveland. who raised and managed that |
Mckinley fund, was not aware that
Kerens put up . cents. Certainly. he
had nothing TO do with raising or man !
aging it.
''The commercial end of McKinley's |
management at Chicago, the Western /
branch headquarters. was not cordial. 1
There was too much Kerens spleen and /
willingness to insult the organization of |
the party in Missouri. Mckinley wished |
Hanna and 7 could get closer together.
Hanna did not put up a dollar for the I
state committee in the 1896 campaign. of /
which 1 was chairman and manager.
''Kerens. after continuous begging. nut /
up 500, and asked that II be, as It was. /
sent 10 Springfield. He wanted to get
into close relations with his syndicate |
street-Tailway interests. I put up I'm the
1886 campaign over 1000 for organization. /
from January TO August, with the under /
standing of its being made good. I put
the proceeds Of 5000 deed of trust.
paid 10 me in March, into the campaign,
and every dollar OF it still remains 'in-
returned
Attitude of Money Power.
IN the opinion Of the money power
money settles everything. That is a base
creed, In the lexicon of these cold
blooded creatures. there are no such
words as honor insult shame
or patriotism The concentrated es-