The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-10

frauds were carried on secretly by
men called moonshiners. Some of the
packing concerns and some politicians
are said to be involved in the scan
dali
One of the current magazines
contains an article dealing with al
legged graft and violence in Chicago,
including war between two gambling
syndicates involving destruction of
property with dynamite bombs City
officials and the police are said TO be
corrupt or inefficient
! Conditions in New York are receiv-
ing much attention now. Fortunate
! ly Manhattan is seeing better days
than the city has known for long
time, owing to the election of an un-
usually high class of municipal Offi-
GERS, but the Aids bribery scandal in
the State Senate has lifted the lid
from a very unsavory mess of cor
ruption, which, if the whole story
could be told, might involve many
prominent politicians of both parties.
The desperate attempts to pre-
vent a thorough investigation may be
defeated by the determination of
President Taft, Senator Root and
Governor Hughes to probe the scan
dial to the bottom. Governor Hughes
also has started an investigation of
the purchase of forest reserves in the
Adirondacks, which is expected to re-
veal dishonest practices.
Reports of dishonest deals come
from Ohio, tales of railroad DONNA
tons from New Hampshire and Cali
fornia, and conditions in the State of
Pennsylvania and the city of Phila-
delphia are VIGOROUSLY corrupt.
1t is easy to declare, as some do,
that politics and corruption go hand
in hand and that there is no honest
government, but we know that such
declarations are not true. 1t is true
that conditions in many instances are
scandalous, but fair comparison of
public life today with conditions
lNChly vi twenty ivy yNolo o5O WIN
show vast change for the better
Civil service reform is the settled pol
icy of the Government. A change in
administration would not mean a
wholesale turning out of public SER
I wants from scrub women to ambas-
sailors. Public officials are not as
sessed for campaign contributions.
The secret ballot has been adopted
and the buying of votes has been made
much difficult. Corrupt practices acts
have been adopted by many States de-
signed to promote purity of elections,
requiring the filing of election eX-
penses, and other desirable publicity.
Primary election laws, designed to
prevent the manipulation of caucuses
and conventions have been widely
adopted.
Think of the change in New
York when men like Theodore Roose-
welt, Charles e. Hughes, Elihu Root,
Joseph II. Choate and others of that
high type of character and ability are
chosen for important positions instead
| of Thomas c. Plat and his type of
! politicians. In earlier days there
/ was no general disposition to investi-
gate evil. We must remember that the
/ very fact that evil is exposed and
that the public is Mortified is hope
full sign. The tendency of the times
is distinctly toward purer, health
Ter, and more efficient kind of poll
/ tics.
The really hopeless state of affairs
is when corruption exists and the pub
lie remain Indifferent with no DISPOSE
ton to investigate the evil. The
cleansing process often is uncomfor-
table temporarily, but it Is very neces-
sary and always wholesome in the
end There is no occasion for being
: diScOIra ppd