The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1912-03-29

thing is equally certain, the coun-
try is being placed g in the hole"
by tariff tinkerers.
The chairman of the republi-
can national committee died last
week. The committee has been
dead for something over three
years.
The purity Of the ballot, the
paign funds, the connection be-
source Of pre-convention cam
tween dangerous interests seek
ing legislation, and the men who
because they "get the money"
are chosen to manage campaigns,
will furnish the groundwork on
which some day, some one who
will escape the meshes of politi-
cal short stops, will write into
story. "Wall Street" has been
a sort of "bogey" for many,
many years; yet all the politi-
cal wire-pulling evidently does
not abide in that short thorough
fare, and the underground pass
ages have been extended since
Uncle Mark Hanna was in the
saddle and "shook down the
street" for six millions of dol
lars to insure success. Four years
ago the amount spent on Presi
dent Taft, after the nomination
was made, was said ito have been
a million dollars-but then again
there were rumors of "outside
expenses, not concluded in the
work of committees-that is regu
lar "party committees" in New
York, and other big centers by
which additional millions were
covered up" to say nothing of
"Brother Henry's'' long purse
The country has been scandalized
by the alleged purchase Of a seat
in senate by Uncle Ike Stephen
son of Wisconsin, but if compar
ison Of the prices of voters per
capita paid by these millionaire
senators could be made with the
cost directly or indirectly of the
presidency the contrast ould
make ''Uncle Ike's toga'' look
like purchases from the five and
ten cent counter.
Just now Washington is the
headquarters Of nominating man
ayers. The Taft organization oc-
cupies sumptuous quarters in one
Of the big hotels, and is repor-
ted to be paying in the neighbor-
hood of $4,000 month rent-a
mere bagatelle as an item of a
presidential campaign. The Roose-
welt people occupy equally spaci-
Gus, though less elegant quarters,
but get rent free. LaFollette
bureau, until recently, Gran all
over"a big office building. These
bureaus aim to furnish literature,
that will aid their candidates, to
every person Of any political con
sequence in the country. There
are about 10000 newspaper Of
fices in the United States and
these editors must be told at
least once week why Mr.. Taft,
or Colonel Roosevelt, or Senator
LaFollette should be nominated.
A small army Of clerks are re-
quired to handle all this work,
and it takes stationary by the ton
and postage by the yard, ito say
nothing Of the carloads of contri-
buttons made at the expense of
Uncle Sam, and sent to destina
tion under the franking privi-
leges of senator's and representa-
tives. Over on tn other side OF
the fence, are Champ Clark and
Oscar Underwood. -and other pres
idential candidates are playing
the same game.
Necessarily ait least barrel of
money must be unloaded at each
headqual ters every morning OF
there would be bankruptcy before
night, and the American peopl
would go short of "education
and country editors waste bas
kets would look hungry. Oh
course none Of these head
iquarters would use tainted
money! and yet to the credit Of
the American people it may b
said that all the presidential can
didates, unless possibly Colone
Poocopo14 ,ooo-x l.. .-,o,+oI ;e