Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1910-02-25
LlNDBfRGn'S LETTER
Public Should Know Who
Pay Congressional Can
didates' Expenses
(By Charles A. Lindbergh. J

In a previous letter mentioned the
large army of othceho'ders In the
departments of government, national,
state, city. etc., 325, 600 of which are
in the P. o. department alone; and I
referred to the fact that, though they
are not related to one another IN a
personal sense, sympathetic relations
nevertheless frequently bring them
together; specially those Of the same
party. In fact. they do frequently
band together; some forming machines
for selfish ends, others organizing for
frequently fall into selfish manage
welfare does not extend the hope of
graft to the selfish, who, as rule, are
most active for that purpose alone.
Politics furnishes great opportunities
for graft, and therefore we lind much
trickery in politics. The party in
power is always subject to the most
criticism for on it rests the greatest
responsibility All parties have some
dishonest ones in them the same as
all church creeds have some hypocrites
among them. The bad we have
always with us. Some may reform,
but we cannot wait for that un-
certainty. Our purpose should be to
make room for the deserving. Honesty
should be made natural by making the
inducements for honest action more
attractive than for dishonest. In
politics, if we quickly discovered and
put the grafters out, their inducement
would be gone. For example, con.
slider the trlckery in politics, and how
it was rebuked by the voters in a
recent election IN one district. The
CONGRESSMAN was defeated for re.elec-
ton by q member of the opposite
party. To start with, he knew he
would have difficulty In being re-
elected, and therefore he decided to
play the political game for all it
would stand, through the influence Of
his Office and through his political
friends in Office. Each candidate got
aid from his national congressional
committee (see note ~; the congress-
man stood in with the senators OF his
state; they, and he too. stood IN with
the state administration, and all stood
in with the Washington adminlstra-
ton. Now, then, from what
happened IN this case, we shall see
one of the ways in which the army of
officials referred to in my fourth
letter sometimes work together.
The congressional committee i'm:
mediately secured the use OF the
columns of such newspapers as they
could, and also prepaid some inspired
articles to be distributed through the
Associated Press. It was stated on
what seems like good authority that
both committees furnished the candi-
dates with campaign means, before
they were nominated by their respec-
tive parties, thereby being unfair to
other candidates; that IS. each con-
gresslonal committee had candidate
of it's own. The congressman, after
getting the national congressional
committee busy, proposed to draft into
his service the postmasters IN his
district. Some did get busy. and
some did not. Against those who did
his opponent complained to the P. O.
department that they were perniclous-
~ active in politics (See note q, and
against those who did not the con-
gresham complained to the p. O. de-
partment for some other alleged cause,
each candidate stating facts which, if
true. would be cause for removal.
OF course, the candidates themselves
did not Tile the complaints; they we're
filed by friends. On these complaints
the department sent out their secret