Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-10
OFFICER MUST
ACCEPT SALARY
Bribery to Agree to Serve Pub
lie Without Pay, Holds At
torney General.
PUTS FITNESS AT DISCOUNT
Head of State Law Department Gives
Opinion That Hits Number in
Public Life.

Chicago, March 1o.-Candidates for
elective offices who appeal for votes on
the promise that they will turn back
into the treasury any part of their
salary if elected are placed in the cat
egory of "bribers" by Attorney Gen
eral Stead Of Illinois.
In an opinion handed down yester-
day the attorney general not only de-
cIares that such promise should be
considered as offering a bribe, but
holds that it is making the office a
subject of barter and sale.
Most reprehensible," the chief law
Office of the state adds in setting forth
what the courts have usually held as
to this practice.
Hits Several Officers.
If this construction were to be up
held then several treasurers and 9TH
er custodians OF public moneys in Cook
county and Illinois were guilty Of this
species of bribery, as the attorney gen.
eral interprets the word.
Former County Treasurer John J.
Hanberg, now commissioner of public
works in Mayor Busse's cabinet, pledg-
ed the voters that If he should be
elected he would turn back into the
treasury the interest earned on de-
posits.
County Treasurer John r. Thomp-
son made the same pledge.
Former States Attorney John ].
Healy, after taxpayers suit had been
instituted to force Governor Deneen
to return the s246,000 he collected in
fees while states attorney, or a large
portion Of it. in addition to his salary.
announced that he would keep $4,000
as his salary and turn the other over
to the county authorities.
-'-''- brought Up BY Collector
The question was brought before the
attorney general by ALI e. Clarke of
Clara, ILL.,, who was candidate for
collector of Mayfield township. Clarke
made a proposition to the voters that
if they would elect him he would turn
his salary over to the road commits
sioners, to be used by them in improv-
ing the public highways His oppon-
ent objected to this style of campaign
and raised the legal point that it was
in effect a deliberate attempt to bribe
the voters without regard to the quail |
fications of the respective candidates
for the office.
Clarke's proposition was published /
in the newspapers of his district and |
made the principal plank in his cam
paign platform.
Bribery to Pledge Fees.
The attorney general calls attention |
to this publicity given the proposal of
Mr.. Clarke and then says:
Your appeal for votes is made upon |
the basis of the cheapness with which |
you will discharge your duties. You I
propose to make the Office not subject /
of qualification. but a subject of barter /
and sale. Under the American theory !
of government public offices are not /
hawked about to the lowest bidder, ir-
respective of qualifications.
Whenever oup courts have passed /
upon this question. they have denounc-
ed, without equivocation, the sale of /
public offices as most reprehensible. |
The conclusions of the Missouri courts
is summed up in the following sylla-
bus:
Bribery of the Public by the Candi-
dates for Ofice-It is unlawful for any
public Office holder to make offers to
the voters to perform the duties of the
office, if elected. for less than the legal
fees. An election secured by means
of such offers is void"