White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-07
COLEMAN SEEKS
BALLOT REFORM
LOCAL JURIST WOULD INSTITUTE
STATE WIDE CAMPAIGN FOR
PASSAGE OF LAW TO ELIMI-
NATE CAMPAINGN EXPENSES.
Ely, New. April 3rd. 1912.

10 the Men ana women OF Nevada:
During the last regular session of
the state legislature lin 1911
bill was introduced In the senate
known as Senate Bill No. 10, gem
orally called the Corrupt Practice
Act, the purpose of which was to
prohibit corruption in primary and
general elections. and generally TO
purify politics. One of the aims of
the bill was to prohibit the expendi-
ture. by candidates for office, of
large sums of money. That such ex-
penditures are an evil no one will
deny. Probably there are in Ne
vada today many men who are still
hampered by the debts contracted
during the Campaign of 1910.
The practice sometimes leads
not only to defalcations (which
causes sorrow and modification
in the home,) but to bribery
and other evils. Why is it that
a great number of good men do
not run for Office? Largely because
their inherent honesty will not per-
nit them TO take anything more than
the salary attached TO the Office, and
they do not feel that they can afford
TO spend a large portion of that sal
airy 10 get the Office Take for In
sembly The compensation for an
ordinary term in the Assembly Is
5000. Under the present method of
campaigning the expense is often
as nuch. If a mar is elected he
nrst put in his time for nothing IA
pay out of his awi pocket MS ex
Penses while in attendance upon the
session of the Legislature Think Of
IL,
Now. only three classes of men
ean afford the Office under these con-
ditions. Cd The rich man who
cares nothing for expenses; 81
The man who does not intend 10
spend a large sum of money To be
elected. and (3) the corrupt man
who figures on getting back what he
through bribery and other corrupt
methods. The rich man is usually
too busy looking after his private in
terests to run for office. The man
of moderate means who will run for
Office and not spend money is rare,
as every man has pride and does not
wish to run for office, feeling In ad-
vance that his failure to spend mon
ey freely may give his opponent an
advantage. Allowing for few ex-
ceptions, we have eliminated the
men OF the first and second classes.
This leaves the man of the third
class-the corrupt. bribe-taking
man. This man of the third class is
the one our present system forces
upon us. as lawmakers. entirely too
often. He is looking out for him
self all of the time. He never con-
siders the people. whose servant he
is. Do we want him? or course
not. Then We must make such laws
as will enable the man of the second
class to run for office. feeling that
he will have an even chance of elec-
ton. The Corrupt Practice Act is
the key to the situation.
What can be more desired than
purity in politics? Who is there who
will stand up and say that he be-
1eves in corruption in our elections?
Not one. There may be those who
prefer such conditions but they will
not say so openly But the bill
mentioned was defeated In the As
sembly. What was the reason of 1t?
The defeat of that bill may be at
tributed to the same cause to which
every bad law can be charged. that
is, to the Indifference of the people,
and lack of intelligent cooperation
on their part. do not know the
name of a single man who voted
against that bill nor do ! wish to.
! will give them, however, the credit
of having been animated by pure
motives, but the bill as II passed the
Senate, ought to become law with
some additional provisions. The
only way to get the desired law is by
the intelligent cooperation of all
who believe In good government. II
can be obtained. 1t shall be. But
Continued on page three.)