The morning journal-courier., 1908-11-19
PRICE OF A GovERNoRsmp.

PRICE OF A GoyERNoRSHIP.
 Governor elect Lilley and Judge A. Heaton Robertson together testify to having spent nearly sixty thousand dollars in carrying their political wares to the electoral market, a pretty penny or two. Of the two candidates the former swears that he expended ten thousand less than his antagonist, though he might have added that he spent to be elected some thirteen thousand more than Governor Woodruff spent two years ago It is possible that if the law required Mir Lilley to include in his statement the amount expended previous to his nomi- nation by the state convention, he and Judge Robertson would be found breaking even.
 As a general proposition fl is wrong that a candidate for the governorship Of Connecticut should be willing, or forced to spend the amount sworn to by either of these men in order that he may acquire legal possession of the office So far as Judge Robertson is concerned 1t Is well known that he did not spend a cent to secure the nomina Iot, h. ok n shoulder practically all of the cost of the state campaign, besides financing certain important political centers and localities. People will differ even then as to whether lt is morally justiiable for a single man to give so much to @ political campaign, but Judge Robert son and his friends might assert in reply that under all of the circum- stances he considered it his duty to carry the burden, lest the opportunity, which seemed to Aesent itself of build, ing up strong minority party in Con necticut should be neglected People will also differ as to whether any political party can expend legitmately the amount provided by Judge Robert son and that more than equalled by the various contributions to the repub- lcan fund, but in the final analysis 1t will have to be admitted that tho use of large sums Is advancing one's cause means the elimination from the race for the goyernorship in particular of all men who cannot personally or through their friends give money p immense quantities
 Mir. Liley's returns to the secretary of state are lower than he was credited with spending during the campaign. It was generally known that the republi- can treasury was well filled, and that the national committee was in no sprt to aid in the task of filling it more. II was known that there was a wide spread revolt against the candidacy of Mr Lilley and that many republicans who had been accustomed in the past to contribute liberally to the party fund%were this year either indisposed to give al all, or to give in reduced sums, yet in spite of these untoward conditions there was carried on an ex- pensive and animated campaign in MT Lilley's behalf. Nearly ten thousand dollars was expended in New Haven by the towh committee for example, a really gorgeous sum- Under all the circumstances then it Is not surprising that MT. Liley's sworn statement has caused a Wonderment as to how he got along with giving as little himself AS it is inconceivable that a man who has been elected to tho high office of gov ernor of the state of Connecticut should hesitate a moment to take the people Into his fullest confidence in re. gard to campaign needs necessities and expenditures, the only cogcluslor one has any right to draw is that as q campaign manager MT. Lllley has all others skinned mile, as the saying is. He also deserves credit for having automatically persuaded others to fill the empty spaces in the party strong box for it is obvious that the money came from somewhere and camc in large quantities.
 But wherever all this money came from it must be evident to the sober 1ehecting people or Connecticut thai something should be done to protec candidates for office on the one hand from such fearful acquisitions upor their private purses, and the state, or the other hand, from the scandal in yolved in an election to a single otllec which costs from six to ten times the salary provided for It's incumbent the voters of Connecticut are thus will