The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-07-11
A Party that is Afraid.

convention it has taken counsel of it fears.
In rejecting, by vote of OF to 63-nearly Is to /
the plank providing for the physical valuation OF
railroads. the republican party admits that it afraid
of the truth What objection can there be to finding
out what the railroads are actually worth? If they
are over-capitalized the country ought to know it
if they are not over-capitazed, the railroads them
selves ought be glad to have the fact announced
So long the truth is concealed, there will be ex
aggeraton both sides-those who lean to the side
of the railroads denying that there is -captaza
ton, and those who demand rate reduction insisting
that the over-capitalization is considerable. We
ought to know the truth. But the republican party
shows by the action which the convention took that
it is afraid of the truth.
The timidty of the republican leaders was even
more emphasized in the vote of $50 to 94-9 to L
rejecting the plank providing for publicity as to cam
paign contributions and expenditures They are
even afraid of the light, for publicity would throw
light upon politics. Elections public affairs and
they ought to be conducted in a public way Secrecy
as to campaign methods and to the influences
which affect elections is indefensibe. If the demand
was for the publication of past contributions and ex-
penditureS, the republican convention might have
offered as an excuse that contributions made and
money expended without expectation OF publicity
could not be made public without some embarrasS-
ment to those giving and receiving, but such
cuse cannot be offered for law applying to future
contributions and disbursements. 1t not necessary
that small contributions shall be made public, and to
make these public might subject the glver to MUS
tice it, for instance the giver enploye and
opposed to his employer. The same argument that
is made in favor of the secret ballot could be made
in favor of secrecy as to small contributions but
this argument will not apply to large contributions
If gives largely, the public has right to know
whether the gift measures general interest IN the
public, is part of an implied contract whereby
return is to be secured in legislation or IN immunity
No corporation of any kind should be allowed to
contribute to a campaign fund, for corporations are
not organized for political purposes and individual
contributions above a reasonable minimum should
be open to inspection in order that the voters may
be made acquainted with the influences which at
work in the campaign. Why did the republican con-
venton turn down this plank by such an overWhelnl-
ing vote when the president had asked for publicity
legislation and the republican candidate for president
had put himself record in favor OF such leg1sla-
to Senator Burrows brought to the attention of
the public! If it had not appeared before the con-
vention it would have been difficult to find after the
convention There can be but explanation OF the
action of the republican convention namely, that 1t
is the intention of those in charge OF the republican
party to secure campaign funds from sources which
they dare not disclose They are afraid of the light
But still more remarkable manifestation of fear
is to be found in the vote of 500 to lily to /
by which they turned down the proposition to elect
United States senator's by direct vote OF the people
What does this mean? Simply that the republican
leaders dstrust popular government. We elect our
congressman by the people, elect our president
and vice-president by the people If the electors
have discreton-and no elector would dare to
vote contrary the sentiment of those who elected
him-why are the people denied the right to select
senator's by direct vote? There is one reason, and
only one-the United States senate today is the bull
wark of predatory wealth; favor-seeking corpora
tons have made it depository of their power and
they close the door to reform. Every remedial law
must have the sanction of the senate well as the
approval of the house and the president So long as
the exploiting interests control the senate, they
can hold the people at bay and this is why the re-
publican convention insolently thwarted the pur-