The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-17

asked 1Of dHEtltiI6 II"
wrong or opposed anything that
vas right, advised me Of their
wishes in reference TO legislation,
giving themselves no further
trouble about it. Occasionally al
ter adjournment or g Legislature
during whose session New YORK
interests were supposed to have
required a good deal Of my time
and attention, suggestions or
compensation were made and de-
cli1ed.'
Special interests here evidently had
the ear and helping hand Of Mr..
Weed in aping legislation, yet he be-
trays no consciousness Of improperly.
From his and their standpoint the leg
~islation asked for was good ana
wholesome but the Judgment as
to this from them. Where
Weeds interests came into community
with those OF these merchant
princes of New York is shown when
the Albany editor writes OF meeting
some Of them one day and the aues-
ton of compensation arose:
Ct remarked tina I had already
been handsomely paid for all the
services I rendered New
York merchants, and in reply TO
the question of How or
when ?" I r1ninded them hat in
important State and National cleo
tons came, az they would re-
member, to New York for cam
paign funds, and hat on all such
occasions they had responded Ito
orally and cheerfully. With that
explanation my trends were CON
tent to let me go on serving
them
Mr.. Weed Tas a party manager
as well as editor, and as party man
ags-r or boss he evidently felt hum
self perfectly free to do work Of a
lobby character for these friendly II
hO~spitable interests in New York City,
in return for liberal campaign con-
tributions to the party, including later
on a massive silver gift to himself
personally As a slight token Of their
appreciation Of his services in their
behalf.
But what party manager today
would freely, almost boastfuily, tell
of having such relations with special
interests on the one hand and Iegisla-
ton on the other? It has been shown
many times in recent years tina spe>
ciaI interests hay made such use OF
political parties in State and nation,
and parties have made such use Of
special interests, as in the insurance
disclosures OF 1906 and only recently
in New York. But it required the
sweating process OF public inquiry to
bring out the facts, and the dis
closures have been and are being fol-
lowed by severely prohibitiye legis,a-
tom; and II party boss IN New
York State who was shown TO have
worked for certain insurance inter
ests In legislation and to have re
ceived money therefor to go into the
party purse, as stated, was oveswhelIn-
ed at the polls when seeking election
to Congress in s. district which he aud
his party had long controlled.
Who will then say hat the times
arc degenerate politically In com par
fsoD with those earlier days Of this
country, let alone other countries at
much earlier times? It is obvious
from the mute evidence to be found
in these memoirs Of tie famous Al
ba1ry editor not only that much higher
moral standards have come to prevail
in our political life, but that the moral
sense of the people IS more alert and
insistent than perhaps ever before in
compelling conformity to these higher
standards of conduct"
The significant thing today is that
wise political leaders will not permit
wrong to be covered up any more
than the authorities will cover I'D
conditions that breed disease. Politi-
cal and health leaders believe that
the duty is to turn on the light and
that the light viii prevent the spread
Of moral and physical disease. The
II Rakers" are patriots. whose
disclosures will surely result in end
ing r~ottenness and in purifying pub
lie life.