The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-09-21
POLITICS
(By w. T. Jasper.)

game played chiefly by office holders
The government, rs you, being an
Intelligent and patriotic citizen, must
know, was made long ago by our fore
fathers when they drew up thai inn
mortal document, the Declaration of
Independence, and constitution. So
every since that time, every genera
tioE has only had several thousand
statesmen trying to make a set of
laws suitable to and able to Withstand
this high type of American citizen
ship. That they are office holders
and grafters is a s~elf-evident fact, for
a set of laws could have been made in
a year or so to last several genera
tions, aft least, if law making was the
!, thing actually sought, but it is not q
set of practical and useful laws that
the statesmen and Legislators, want, or
ever did want. it is graft.
There are, in short, two powers
used in American Government; the
first is cheap noisy promises made to
sovereign citizens before election, and
the next is graft given by Capitalists
to your representatives in office after
election. So, as it stands now, Re-
p~ublicans and Democrats can probably
secure some laws that will be of some
good to them, by first electing poll
ticians to make them, and then paying
them a graft in addition to their
salaries for doing so. If the poor
could afford to pay their representa-
tives a few thousands more than the
corporations, it would result in plac-
ing Graft. like every other fourishing
National Industry, upon n competitive
basis.
Now, perhaps there are Republi-
can and Democratic working classes
voters who believe hat graft is not
a generally prevalent condition in the
transaction of government. If so, I
ask only that you use you reason a
little. see where it leads you to.
But since it is such an unusual and
indeed wholly unnecessary thing for
a Republican or Democratic working
class voter to be required to use any
reason in politics. I will give you a
start by taking one illustration.
When you elect representatives to
office. he does not. in the first con-
~sideration. have to pass any laws at
all. The Constitution. nor any law.
'SN' u l NIhilS hlIll ~ pdSS ally.
Catch that? 1t merely says that
There shall be a. Senate and House of
Representatives" at so much salary.
but it does not require them to do
anything whatever. If you are well
informed in current literature, you
will know that for years and years,
n at present, the various state II
National houses meet for regular bust
ness with as few as ten members of
several hundred present-not once,
but regularly. They don't even pre-
sent themselves in Chambers. as a
rule. So You see they know THEY DO
NOT HAVE TO CREATE LAWS UN-
LESS 1T SUITE THEM, and they do
not make laws unless they receive
graft for it from some source. More
over, if the laboring classes could
go into the legislative chambers and
offer each representative enough graft,
as a bribe for his vote to make him
independently wealthy for the rest Of
his days, a full set of labor laws would
be passed in ANY form that their law
yels drafted them.
This is just how corporations get
special privileges. Their lawyers
draft the laws. and the corporations
give brides to the Republican and
Democratic lawmakers that you
elected ON THEIR PROMISES, and
the law is passed.
This Mr.. Woodrow Wilson, Nj.
Lafolette and other reformers call the
corrupt Influence of business upon
politics" These gentlemen hope to re-
move this corrupt influence, but. 1
may assert. it will not be removed rs
long as Statesmen are elected TO
Office WITH NO PARTICULAR
THING TO ACCOMPLISH EXCEPT
PATCH ON REFORMS TO THE SYS-
TEN AT so MUCH GRAFT PER RE
FORM.
However. while there is this "cor
rupt Influence of business on Poll,
tics" there is. also. a corrupt in.
nuence" OF politics on business. and
want to write upon this in another is.
sue at some length For the
present. I will conclude by saying that
both politics and business have
Il very bad influence upon
the Republican and Democratic
voters, if he only knew it. and it is
their duty to JbanSalya IN 600 that