The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-04-16
KICK ON RING RULE
SOME REPUBLICANS INDULGE IN
PLAIN TALK.

About the Corruption Abroad in the
/ Land and the Great Need of a
Change.
| The annual dinner of the Repub-
lican Club Of Media county, N. Y,
was held Wednesday, evening and at
tended by 700 men, for the most part
anti-organization men. The speak
ers included Charles j. Bonaparte,
former Encouragement Of the Unit
ed States; William H. Hotchkiss,
state superintendent of insurance,
and Congressman George W. Nor
ris, OF Nebraska.
Former Assemblyman Merwin K.
Hart, president of the league, in his
Introductory remarks, said the peo-
pie are as hard to fool as in Lin
coins time, and "were not deceived
by the Payne-Aldrich bill, and are
tired of continued disclosures about
politicians for revenue only"
jMr. Bonaparte's address was an
analysis of the methods OF bosses
and rings, a protest against the
methods of both and plea for re-
turning political power to the peo-
pie.
"The mass of our citizens habi-
tually come to the polls, mot to
choose their rulers, but to record a
preference between nominees of two
usurping monopolies," he said.
Mr.. .Bonaparte declared leaders
"have made their trade so dangerous,
odious and noisome that against 1t
every force that makes for righteous
ness must be directed tomorrow as
it should be today"
Superintendent Hotchkiss follow
ed and after referring to the mes
sage sent to the legislature by Gov
ernor Hughes for an investigation
of legislative practices and proceed
ure and also to a recent speech by
! the governor voicing the public de-
mand "for the uncovering of the
secret places of political power and
legislative favor" said:
THUS within week have two
blows been struck at g system
rather system with system-of
| which New Workers have become
weary. Executives Of great states
do not speak thus without ek;reme
proYScation.
| Through what arperiod have We
been passing? Until recent years
considerations on the sij, seem to
have been smiled at by the cynical; !;
the boasts of some of these in bl'F
room talks led toward several Of
the disclosures ~ the INJURY now
closing. What an atmosphere was
was that of the capital clr:--said
one witness "this is not Sunday
school, this is Albany'--where graft
has been a subject for joking and the
distributors of it honored in song.
"And what shall be said of peo-
pie whose action at the polls or in
convention has made such things
possible? Each decade of late has
seen the executive grow stronger, the
Legislature weaker; each decade the
people have become more satisfied to
trust a man, not merely to execute,
but even at times to make the laws.
The current just now is stronger
than ever before. Impressed by the
corrupt practices of the few, the
plain people are beginning to doubt
the relia bility of the legislative
branch. Stories from Mississippi s
contest in lurid vigor with those
from Pittshurg; New Jerseys of late
cast in shadow even the daily tales
about New York. Carried to the III
innate, the present distress of pop
lar representation in city council, in
state legislature, yes, even in the
Federal congressmen's sooner OF
later, a practical despotism, chief
tainship which, while still elective
has yet all of the dangers against
which the father taught. God for
bid that the government should thus
be weakened.
"And so I take it our governor
was looking far into the future when
he asked thorough and unsparine
investigation into legislative process
es and procedure What the peo'
ple want is, however. not so much
current resolution as a concur
rent revolution, an overturn in meth
DDS. perhaps, rather than in men
So be it,
Policemen Must Pay Debts.