The daily sentinel., 1908-08-12
FEARLESS WORDS
OF THE C0MMOKER
CONTINUED from Page p

understand the cause. For a genera
, ton, the republican party has drawn
its campaign funds from the bene-
ficiaries of special legislation. Priv
ileges have been pledged and granted
in return for money contributed to
debauch elections. What can be eX-
pected when official authority is
turned over to the representatives of
those who first furnish the sinews of
war and then reimburse themselves
out of the pockets of the taxpayers?
Fasting In Wilderness Necessary.
So long as the republican party
| remains in power, it is powerless to
regenerate itself. 1t can not attack
wrong-doing in high places without
disgracing many of its prominent
members, and it, therefore, uses OPT
ates instead of the surgeons knife.
Its malefactors construe each repub-
lican victory as an endorsement of
their conduct and threaten the party
with defeat if they are interfered
with. Not until that party passes
through a period of fasting in the
wilderness, will the republican lead
ers learn to study public questions
from the standpoint of the masses.
Just as with individuals, the cares
of this world and the deceitfulness of
riches choke the truth, so in politics,
when party leaders serve far away
! from home and are not in constant
contact with the voters, continued
party success blinds their eyes to the
needs of the people and makes them
deaf to the cry of distress.
Publicity of Campaign Contributions.
An effort has been made to Sc
cure legislation requiring publicity
as to campaign contributions and eX-
penditures; but the republican lead
ers, even in the face of an indignant
public, refused to consent to a law
which would compel honesty in cleo
tions. When the matter was brought
up in the recent republican national
convention, the plank was repudiated
by a vote of $50 to "a. Here, too
Mr. Taft has been driven to apologize
for his convention and to declare
himself in favor of publicity law;
and yet, If you will read what he says
upon this subject, you will find that
his promise falls far short of the re-
quirements of the situation. He says:
IF am elected president, | shall
urge upon congress. with every hope
of success. that a law be passed re-
quiring the filing, in a federal office
of a statement of the contributions
received by committees and candi-
dates in elections for members of
congress. and in such other elections
as are constitutionally within the CON
troll of congress-
Il shall not embarrass him by ask
ing him upon what he bases his hope
of success; it is certainly not on any
encouragement he has received from
republican leaders. 1t is sufficient
to say that if his hopes were realized
If, in spite of the adverse action
of his convention. he should succeed
in securing the enactment of the very
law which he favors, it would give
but partial relief. He has read the
democratic platform; not only in his
language, but his evident alarm, in
dicates that he has read it carefully
He even had before him the action
of the democratic national committee
in interpreting and applying that
platform; and yet, he fails to say that
he favors the publication of the con-
tributions before the election. OF
course. 1t satisfies a natural curiosity |
to find out how an election has been |