The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-07-09

Henry ID. Clayton, Congressman FIR
of the Der
during his term of office my poll
cies" must continue. So the champion
of these would transfer office and
power to his favorite cabinet minister,
and his spear is to have a fellow.
The pretense is that the fight must go
on under the leader designated by him
until the last foe shall have surrender
ed or lies inglorious in the dust. The
nomination of his wculd-be successor
was largely accomplished by the use
of official patronage and coarse ma
chine methods and has delighted the
chief apostle of strenuosity. and, at
the same time, has not perturbed the
conscience of the one-time civil service
reformer, now the boss, an adept in
the bestowal OF public plunder. and
forgetful of all his resounding moral
commonplaces. No fair minded
American could read of the recent
political doings at Chicago without
feeling regret and modification that
the president should have so abused
his power in debating to a great party
his choice of a successor, and regret
that that party should have submitted
SO cowardly to a humiliation that was
as manifest as it was degrading
What are the policies which con-
stitute the capital of the Republican
party in this campaign and that. are
relied upon to support the candidacy
of Mr.. Taft?
To recall Democratic platforms,
speeches and measures is to convince
any man that many Of the presidents
public utterances were derived from
an avowed familiarity with the teach
ings of our party. His utterances that
are Democratic have given him his
only claim to be a reformer and have
contributed more than all else to the
popularity he has enjoyed. The heir
and the party are committed to "un-
faltering adherence to the policies" of
the president. What are these poll
cies and what are the achievements of
president and party?
Campaign Contributions.
1t must be admitted that the repub-
lie can not long survive If fraud and
corruption become material factors in
our elections. No man has said more
than the president about the corrup-
ton of elections. You recall his mes
sage to congress in December, 1905,
where he said that:
at has been only too clearly shown
that certain men at the head of these
large corporations take but small note
of the ethical distinction between hon
esty and dishonesty; they draw the
line only this side of what may be
called law-honesty. the kind of hon.
esty necessary in order to avoid falling
into the clutches of the law"
We have here the condemnation of
the practice. Has he proved his faith
by his works? Is it true or not that
four years ago he selected for his
campaign manager a novice in politics
whose principal qualification for the
position was the power he held over
the corporations of the land? Is it
true or not that the official place as
secretary of commerce and labor gave
full knowledge of these business
secrets and relations of corporations
to this campaign manager, and clothed
him with power, with the assent of the
president, to punish or reward them
by publishing or withholding their
secrets that he had collected as such
secretary.
Is it true or not that, with this
power held in terror over the corpora
tons. he solicited or had his agents
solicit campaign contributions from
them? Is it true or not that such re-
quest under such circumstances was
demand upon the corporations
demand that they acceded to. knowing
that the man who made 1t had the
power to punish them in case they
refused? Can it be doubted that in
this way vast sums were raised? If
so, how much of these contributions
were used for legitimate expenses and
how much for corruption purposes we
do not know. Notwithstanding savage
ante election denial we know that a.
subsequent investigation of certain
insurance companies uncovered the
fact that large amounts were con-
tributed by these companies to the
Republican campaign fund-not the
money of the men who gave it, but
money covertly taken without consent
of stockholders or policy holders and
entered on the books in a way call
culated to conceal the embezzlement.
All this was done in the interest of
the Republican candidate for presi-
dent The money was used, the candi-
date was elected and he continued to
deliver lectures on decency and for
honesty in elections, sending messages
to congress. on publicity and cam
paign contributions but at times when
these were certain to be unavailing.
The Chicago convention has met, has
transacted its business, and has
adjourned. The question of a pub
licity bill was mooted there, was de-
feated, and it would never have seen
the light of day except through the
unaided efforts of one solitary mem
Der of the committee on platform and
resolutions, who dragged it out only to
witness its deep entombment by the
body of a convention. Thus died
one OF my policies" to which
that convention in ELUSIVE, II