The Springfield herald., 1908-08-07

what's the use OF "bribing' man to
vote. when he can take the money and
vote as he pleases, and no one be the
wiser as to how he voted?
The bulk of the money in campaign
expenses goes for thoroughly canvass
ing the wards and getting all the vot-
ing strength out; for sending out cir
culars and other campaign literature:
for hiring halls, and hack hire for ora
tors; for brass bands and torch-light
professions; for carriage hire to make
a thorough canvass of the ward by the
candidates: for the precinct captains
ON election day; for printing bills. and
divers other expenses. The money
that goes over the bar Is what the
candidate himself puts up as rule,
Now the business men contributed
their checks to see the men win
who they thought would be friendly
to them in pinch; they selected their
party candidates when they could.
and l am of the opinion that the most
of the big men" wanted absolutely
trustworthy and reliable candidates
who would not he too ferociously stub
born about granting any little harm
less" privilege. They were bitterly
opposed to graft of whatever party
they happened to belong to. but they
had their individual ideas of what
that baleful term meant.
For instance, suppose some highly
reputable merchant wanted to ele-
vate the sidewalk above his place of
business to facilitate the handling of
freight. Suppose such an elevation
practically 'hogged" that part of the
sidewalk, to the exclusion of the pass
ing pedestrians who demurred at
climbing up the elevated sidewalk
there to stumble over skids and
through piles OF boxes and barrels
Was that any part of the pubic's bust
ness? Pish, and also Fie, Nothing is
so obnoxious as the average pedes-
trian. He is always getting tangled
up in electric cars. or cabs, or skids,
or wheels. and having his plebeian
anatomy defaced or broken by getting
in the way of progress"
Then there was another type of
business man. This was the type
that had no particular AK to grind"
They were party men," who gem
orally held their conferences with the
down town leaders, and who played
politics" in a genteel way. They
never contributed unless they knew
where the money WIS going to. and
they did not use politics as means
to an end Sometimes they We're
chosen as aldermanic. or other candi-
dates. and when elected made good
officials
They were often selected for posi-
tions of non-salaried prominence. and
they represented what might be
termed the passive responsibility of
the party. The active" respectable
ity of the parties was divided among
the professional men, big" mer-
chants, small tradesmen and ward pol
iticians, in proportions which varied
according TO localities. Sometimes
one of these men would turn re
former" and often he made a very per
sistent and active man behind the gun
of reform. Reform. bad as it some
times is. must be credited with having
accomplished much. both in local and
national politics.
About the only way the average
business man could be reached with
political argument, was either by mail
or by personal call. You never saw
a bunch" in your life SO immune
from campaign oratory. Many of them
took their politics from their papers,
and voted straight the ticket which
their editor had selected for them.
They might be induced to read cam