Bisbee daily review., 1911-05-25
WILSON SPEAKS ON
 LAW AND CORRUPTION
(Contipued from Page 1

tsres themselves. The whole process of discussion, if any discussion at an takes place. Is private and shut away from public scrutiny and knowledge. There are so many cir cies within circles. there are so many indirect and private ways Of getting at legislative action that our communities are constantly un- easy during legislative sessions.
 Privacy and Corruption.
 It is 1his confusion and oDscurity and privacy of our legislative meth od that give the political machine it's opportunity. Apparently nothing but the political machine can bring or der out of chnos. There is no central force in any legislature which can itself guide the course Of lawmaking. There is no publicly responsible man or group of men who are known to formulate Legislation and to take charge of it from the time Of its in- troduction until the time of it's en- actment lt has. therefore, been pos sible for an outside fOrce-the polit- icai machine. the body ol men who nominated the legislators and who conducted the contest for their clec- ton. to assume the role of control. Business men who desired something done by way of changing the law un- der which they were acting or who wished to prevent legislation which seemed to them to threaten their own interests. have known that there was this definite body of persons to 4N with them. They have agreed to sup ply them with money for campaign expenses and to stand by them in all other cases where money was nee essary if In return they might resort to them for protection and resistance in matters of Legislation There have been times when it was a matter Of no surprise to us to learn that legis- latures looked to a certain man who was not even a member of their body for the instructions as to what they were to do with particular laws. and we have become cynicallY accustom- eB to the presumption that the in sanctions they received were re ceived after the majority had con ferred with those who were backing him and assisting him in the busi ness world.
 Machine Always Controlled.
 1t is not altogether just 10 indulge in indiscriminate blame for this state of affairs; our legislatures be, ing at loose ends. nobody in partic- ular being responsible, it was natur- al not to say inevitable that some sort Of control should spring up. The machine, which was the center of party organization, was the natural instrument of control, and men who had business interests to promote naturally resorted to the body which exercised the control There need have been nothing sinister about this. If the whole matter had been open and can3id and honest, public criticism would not have centered upOn it. But the use of money al ways results in demoraliZation and goes beyond decentralization to actual corruption. There are two kinds Of orruption-the crude and the ob- vious sort, which consists in direct bribery, and the much subtler, more dangerous sort, which consists in corruption of the will. Business men who have tried to set up a control in politics through the machine have more and more deceived themselves. have allowed themselves to think that the whole matter was a neces- sary means of selfdefeuse, have said that it was a necessary outcome of our political system. Having reas- sured themselves in this way. they have drifted from one thing to an other until the questions of morals involved have become hopelessly ob- scured and submerged
 Hampering Good Service.
 The methods used are well enough known. Money has not only been supplied to those men in public life who would be seTviceable to biz bus mess interests by way of promoting the legislation they desired and pre- venting 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 at tention, but which is after all the most insidious and contemptible part of the whole ugly system. Most of our legislators are men engaged in one kind of business or aaother, or engageT in one sort of employ ment or another. They therefore have their own individual interests and connections, and again and again it has happened that indivId- ual legislators who wished to ren- der conscientious and independent public service found themselves sud denly embarrassed when they refuss ed 10 serve particular business in- terests which were seeking legisia- tive favOrs They have found they eoulB not renew their notes at the | bank They have found credit denied 1 them and obstacles put in their way in the conduct Of their business. The whole thing can be easily managed l without attracting public attention ]. and in such subtle ways and even \ the man injured cannot always prove 1 that there is anything intentional or l deliberate in the injury done him; | but the grip of the money market 1 tightens on him none the less and I