The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-04-10
SENATOR OWEN BlAMES POLL
TIcIANs AND SAYS CORRUPT
POLITICS is TROUBLE.
A REMEDY IS SUGGESTED
He Says Voters Should Organize Pre-.
einet Liberty leagues-The Nation
He Adds is Sick With Political
Rottenness.

inability OF the American people To
get relief from high prices. from a
high tdrin, from corrupt campaign
contributions. from corrupt municipal .
government. and from corrupt state .
government is due TO one vital fault
in the American political system. In .
u vital spot the nation is politically
sick and every evil consequence of
bad government flows from this
source
Thus spoke senator owen of Mus
kogee, in discussing the great reycla-
tions at Pittsburg aud Albany.
The fault. continued the senior
senator from Oklahoma, is IA system
by which commercial interest may
make alliance with men interested In
politics as business and who are in
fuenccd in following politics for
profit.
since the war the convention as
system OF party mechanism has grown
to be grossly abused and has become
an agency through which sinister com.
mcrcial forces operate in the control.
first of party government. and second
OF goycrnment itself Under machine
politics of both political parties where
these influences operate you will full
Il precinct boss, who manages the
precinct primary. lie calls the primary
meeting upon short notice. obscure
advertisement and in an incOnVen-
lent or unpleasant room. He fills the
room with his own strikers he names
the precinct delegate The members
and voters OF his party in that pre-
cinct do not name the precinct dele
. gates. They are not present for var.
, ious reasons.
SECONDLY il they did know OF II
they knew il would be upstairs in a
back room over Tim Sulliyan's saloon
Z and they did not Ike the place.
j. In the third place, they knew that
sullivan. the precinct boss, would have
the room mll of his strikers, and that
one or two Independent citizens had
i no show in that primary.
p ~ fourth reason was, possibly. that
l. politics had been made disgusting Ia
the ordinary citizen by the notorious
rascalitics which had taken place be
fore and had made the duty of a cit
izcu to attend the primary offensive.
Whenever the precinct delegate
vas named by Tim sullivan, the pre-
ciuct machine boss. then and there de
parted the control of the members OF
the republican or democratic party
in that precinct and of the county
and state and congressional district
Thereafter the precinct delegates had
all nominations and platforms within
their sacred keeping The same thing
under all political machines, wherever
they exist
Thereafter the precinct delegates
met in county convention or municipal
convention and selected delegates TO
the state convention or to the congress
sional district conventions
Thereafter the state conventions,
made mp Of machine delegates Just
as far as this system happens TO
prevail will write state platforms
and nominate candidates for state Of
tices from governor down
Under such system of party
government, men desiring high pc
itcal position find it necessary to
uolled by the machine. The building
uolcd by the machine The building
up of a machine is natural out,
growth of human nature and of
human ambition and human intclli-
srnce which put, together Tho fac
tors necessary 10 success.
In many of the states I'm part or
iu whole one party or the other or
perhaps both parties are absolutely
dominated by the machine
Commercial interests find a po
tent ally with the men who control
the state or city machine of either
party or of both parties
These commercial interests fur
nish money when necessary and only
when necessary ON large scale
or small scale as their interest
seems to Justify, and In this way
they are able to influence nomina
tions and influence state, county and
municipal platforms and political is
sues, and are able 10 influence the
action OF legislatures, national. state
and municipal; are able to Influence
the action OF executive officers, Ma
t.onal, state and municipal
What do the machine politician.