The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-08-04
Washington News Letter.

(By Clyde H. Tavener, staff Wash
ington special correspondent of The
Reporter
Washington, d. c., July 30-Pro-
lection makes politics a business
proposition.
In the last congressional election
for instance, the tariff trusts spent
large sums of money to bring about
the election of candidates who had
secretly or otherwise pledged them
selves to revision upward.
These contributions to the republi-
can campaign fund were investments
in every sense of the word. The
trusts figured that if republicans
We're elected the tariff on the particu-
lar commodities in which they dealt
would be kept sufficiently high to bar
out competition and assure them
monopolies on American markets.
With this end in view the tariff
trusts and combinations of manu-
facturers contributed literally to re-
publican campaign funds.
The expenditure of this tainted
money enabled the republicans to
dominate congress! The tariff was re-
ylsed upward! The manufacturers
WI Z SiNSl LlCll GrlcGS
were boosted!
The result is that the people are
now repaying to the tariff trusts, in
increased prices, not only the
amounts invested as contributions to
the republican campaign fund, but
they are also paying profit varying
from 100 to 1000 per cent, besides.
And in the meantime the big cor
porate interests have taken the
reins of government out of the hands
of the people into their own for save
keeping. Such is the milk of the pro-
lection cocoanut.
Government by Money.
1t cost Joseph C. Sibley $4O,69S. SO
to win the republican nomination for
congress in the Twenty-eighth dis
trict of Pennsylvania. Mr. Sibley re-
ceived 10,446 votes at the primaries,
and each represented an expenditure
: of nearly 81. AS his plurality was
only 6S9 it is fair to say that his
nomination was brought about by the
sheer power of money.
At the primaries in the Thirteenth
district of Pennsylvania John Dalzell
spent $4,000, most of which
were contributed by protected manu-
facturers. The combined eXpendi-
lures of Sibley and Dalzell in these
two districts were nearly $4,000.
Their combined salaries as represent
atives in congress for two years will
be only $4,000. Their nominations,
therefore, cost almost $4,000 more
than the emoluments of their office,
exclusive of mileage and stationary
allowances.
Contribution to the party of re-
vision upward is a paying business
investment, particularly to the tariff
trusts.
Men will always pay thousands to
politicians or to party funds in the
hope of getting back millions. Make
the tariff for revenue only, and you
cut off leading cause of political
dishonesty and corruption.
The Democratic Campaign.
The democrats need but gain
twenty-five seats in the next house OF
Representatives to obtain numerical
majority.
The present republican majority is
forty-three. At least eighteen repub-
licans hold their seats by a margin
less than 1000 votes.
Every local democratic committee
has a heavy responsibility. The
character of the nominee in every
district is supremely important
Democracy cannot challenge the en-
envy with weak or colorless candi-
surance that the men they vote for
will stand four square when the first
real test comes in organizing the next
congress-
Democratic candidates must stand
on an equivocal platform of real tar
if revision.
The democratic party, through
both national and local organizations
must be prepared to shoulder full
responsibility for removing the tariff
burdens from the people.
The democrats have a real issue tc
carry them to victory, and can lose
only by failure to grasp it's signifi.
canoe.
Taft Won't Interfere.
The new railroad rate law will not
be used to keep down railroad rates
Correspondents at the summer
capital at Beverly, Mass, recently
got this news. 1t means that the
strongest feature of the new railway
law is to be a dead-letter under the
Taft administration.
The section of law referred to is
that giving power to the interstate
commerce commission, on complaint
against an increase, to suspend an,
freight rate for eleven months pend
ing decision as to the justice of the
rate. This section was forced into
the law by the democrats and insur
gents and was strongly opposed b!
President Taft and the .Aldich-Can
non regulars.
Being hostile to this feature of the
new law, President Taft will not uss
it to prevent the railroads from in
creasing their rates.
How it Looked.
The next day after Representative,
Ravens (democrat) changed a 10,
600 republican majority into 4 500
n :