The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-08-23
Will DO GOOD
Campaign Funds Mast Be Published Be-
fore and After E!ecs.ens
one OF BRYAk'S IDEAS

Some Instances Given Below Where
mense Campaign Contributions
Were Made by the Trusts to Buy
up the Elections So as They Could
Rob the People.
Among the beneficent acts of the
Democratic House Of Representa-
tives the passage of the Rucker bill,
providing for publicity of campaign
funds both before and after Federal
elections is first in importance. 1t
seeks to purify politics at the source.
The revelations made before the COM
mittee have once more demonstrated
how vital is the need of this legisla-
ton. It is necessary and it is inevl-
table.
Young men in politics would find 1t
hard to credit how shameless and
sordid quarter of century ago
was the open use of money in cleo
tions, or how corruption VS. made
Jest by men who should have been
leaders in public thought. In 1888
Chester A. Arthur was President OF
the United States. In 1880 he was
already elected Vice President when
at a public banquet said:
Indiana was really, / suppose, a
Democratic State It had always been
cut down in the book as State that
might be carried by close and care
full and perfect organization and a
great deal of-(Pause filled IN by
laughter and a cry of "Soap.O
In 1888 Privilege with heightened
audacity pushed the corruption OF
voters to a point never before paral-
leIed. At any cost Democracy was
to be dethroned On May 25 Presl-
dent James ]. Foster of the Republl-
can League sent out his letter say
ing that manufacturers benefited by
protection were laggard in contrib
uting. He added in a phrase that be-
came famous: eff I had my way
I would put the manufacturers OF
PENNSYLVANIA under the fire and fry
all the fat out of them" Fosters let
ter closed with the remark: IF you
give US the means to win the victory
we will do it. Are you willing?'
On Oct. "a Col. W W. Dudley,
Treasurer of the Republican National
Committee, showed how the means
were to be applied He sent out this
advice as to the handling Of purchas-
ed votes.
Divide the voters into blocks OF
five and put a trusted man with nee
essary funds in charge of these five
men, and make him responsible that
none get away, and that all vote our
ticket.
In 1892 when Cleveland was elect
ed the serond time the interests rails
ed a big corruption fund for his bene-
fit and he was elected. We all know
he favored Wall street by his bond
issues. In 1896 Mark Hanna raised
an immense fund to defeat Bryan,
which was repeated again IN 1900.
It is said no one knows how much
money was raised to defeat Bryan IN
those two campaigns, but the amount
was very large. The immense cor
ruption and vote buying in the above
campaigns caused Mr.. Bryan to pro
pose the kew which will soon be on
the statute books, requiring. pub
lication OF all campaign fund con-
tributions. IN 1904 a means OF
efrying the fat" which far out-Fos-
tered Fosters widest dreams had in
the mean time been provided in the
Bureau of Corporations, whose re-
searches were to be conducted in Sc
cret and whose conclusions were to
be disclosed only to the President.
They have been refused to an lnves-
tigating committee of the House Of
Representatives within the present
session.
When George 3. Cortelyou, who as
Secretary of Commerce and Labor
had oversight of the Bureau of Cor
porations and access to its business
secrets was made chairman Of the Re
publican National committee charged
with the reelection of Theodore
Roosevelt, financial leaders knew
what was expected Of them. The en-
suing scandals were the greatest that
ever in the history Of American poll
tics have gathered about the corrupt
use of money at the pools. So gross
were the abuses that on Oct. 20, 1904
Judge Parker said in public speech:
AS have said before, and I deem
it my duty to say it again, the trusts
are furnishing the money with which
they hope to control the election. I
am sorry to be obliged to say it. If it
were not true T would not say it to
gain the Presidency or any earthly
reward.
Mr. Roosevelt's reply, issued six
GAYS ldlGN, NlCAIA u1SG pS1 AON IN
had ample time to inform himself,
consisted Of quibbling restatement
of the charges and sweeping denial:
MT. Parker's charges are in effect
that the President of the United
States and Mr.. Cortelyou, formerly
Mr.. Cleveland's executive clerk, then
Mr.. McKinley's and my secretary,
then Secretary of Commerce and La
Dor, now chairman Of the Republican
National committee have been in
conspiracy in blackmail corporations,
cIr. Cortelyou using his knowledge
gained while he was secretary of
Commerce and labor to eXtort money
from the corporations, and I, the
President, having appointed him for
this especial purpose. But there is
not one particle of truth in the state
ment as regards ANYTHING that has