The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-05-24
Methods Used

merged.
Methods Used
The methods used are we'll enough
known. Money has not only been sup
piled to those men In public life who
would be serviceable to big business
interests by way Of promoting the
legislation they desired and prevent
Ing the legislation they feared, but It
has also been denied to those who
would not be serviceable. It is this
latter use Of the money power which
has attracted very little attention,
but. which is after all the most in
sidious and contemplate part Of the
whole ugly system. Most Of our leg
isEators are men engaged in one kind
Of business or another. or engaged In
one sort Of employment or another.
They therefore have their own indi-
vidual business interests and connec-
tons, and again and again It has hap
pened that individual Legislators who
w1shd "a. rsndsr scqnseisntipus and
i lindapaAd0nts pub1ic service found
| themselves suddenly embarrassed
when they refused. to serve particular
business interests which were seeking
Legislative favors. They have found
that they could not renew. their
notes at the bank. They have found
credit denied them and obstacles put
in their way IN the conduct Of their
business. The whole thing can be
easily managed without attracting
public attention and In such subtle
ways that even the man injured can
not always prove that there is any
thing Intentional or deliberate In the
injury done him: but the grip Of the
money market tightens on him none
the less and strangles him II he ex-
ercises too great independence and
does not lend himself to the purpose
which, the machine has consented to
promote at the bidding Of the busi-
ness men with whom they are allied.
Power Of Money
Unhappily money is necessary at
every turn Of the political game. It
is necessary In connection with ev-
cry part Of our electoral process be-
cause our electoral processes have
to be public, men have to be. COM
mended to the electorate by methods
Of one sort or another, like public
speeches, literature printed and dis
tributed through the mails-by all
the methods Of publicity, which are
necessarily costly. A man csnnot get
into Office without the expenditure of
q good deal Of money, even II he con-
fines the expenditure to perfectly leg
itimRte objects. The sources Of mon
ey are therefore the sources OF po-
litical opportunity and Of power. and
those who supply the money can
generally control the nominations,
that Is to say, the selection Of those
who are to exercise the powers of
government and Of law-making. And
opportunity does not stop at cleo
ton. The men elected to ONCE gen
orally hope to have some political
future, and they md that future In
turn controlled at tha source: 80
that those who supply the "sinews
Of war" are too often able to exer-
else kind Of command which de-
prives representative Of the people
Of their own real independence. It.
requires o great deal Of courage and
an unusual amount Of individual In
itiative to serve In one, Of our legis-
latures without being touched and
restrained and coerced In some de-
gree by influences Of this kind. VI
Hits the Tariff
Ono Of the best instances that
could be cited 10 the whole disap-
pointing business Of our legislation
with regard to import duties. The
tariff has been the most prolific
source OF tho corrupt Interference Of
business with politics that tho ex-
periencs OF the country has afforded.
Almost every kind Of business 10 af-
fected directly o. indirectly by. the
tariff laws and It has In recent years
become notorious that the schedules