The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-08-05
Prostituting Government.

Considering the methods employed
by President Roosevelt to secure
the nomination of his candidate for
the succession, it was not to be ex-
pected that he would scruple to re-
sort to any means calculated to aid
in making his election sure, says the
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.
That the power Of Federal patre-
mage was used and abused to an ex.
tent never before ,approximated in
the history of the government, to
effect the naming of Taft by the
Chicago convention, is too notorious
a fact to admit of discussion. That
convention was packed with Office
holders holding their appointments
from Roosevelt and doing his bid.
ding to the slightest detail.
With this contingency of pie eaters
and government pap-sucker., sub,
servient to his every wish and re,
sponsive to his slightest nod. the
Master and Dictator in the White
House was able to whip the reca!cl
trants and would-be insurgents into
line and so force the assemblage to
do his will both in the naming OF
the candidate and the PRONUNCIATION
If the platform.
And just as Federal patronage
was abused to accomplish that re-
suit, so now executive authority is
to be stretched and the public ser
vice prostituted to i.sfuence the
election in November. Every pow
er of the administration is to be
brought to bear to concilate the int.
arests which the policies may have
given cause for ofense, every agen-
cy of the government is to be direct
ed to restoring industrial and busl-
:.ess activity, for a time at least,
and the compact which Mark Hanna
made with the System" in 1896 and
1900 is again to be renewed. Only
a few weeks ago it was announced
hat there would be no further pros
..cutions of the Trusts for several
months.
The reason assigned was that The
department of justice was crowded
with other business demanding at
tention, that Trust cases had been
carried as far as they could without
further preparation, and that
months would be required to make
such preparation. This may deceive
the credulous and unsuspecting who
still believe in the trust busting"
oretensions Of the Roosevelt admin
istration, but nobody else. Those
possessing the average amount OF
intelligence and caring to use it
know that the real object is to COL
ciliate the grinding ,nonopolies"
and the predatory combinations"
in order that their contributions to
the campaign fund may be forth
coming as usual and with the same
liberality,
And now the order has gone forth
to all the government departments
to spend all the money they can and
as quickly as they can. The prac-
tice and precedent Of years is to
be broken, and every thing that the
government will need for the cur
rent twelve months is to be pur-
chased before the election. Money
must be poured out to the extent Of
three-quarters Of a billion dollars.
That there is no public necessity for
it and that it may empty the treas
ury Of the last dollar makes no diff
ference. Temporarily, at least.
business must boom. Labor must
be employed and wages must be
kept up. Prosperity must be sirnu-
lated, though it may not exist. Pol
itical expediency and party exlgency
demand it. That is sufficient.
It would never do for the Nove1n
Der election to find business stag