The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-17
bad stink for concern calling itself
newspaper,
HUGE CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES.

'''"tNic' 'ol. hoJS"N"lt mas had
The backing OF two great trusts ia the
United States in his campaign for 2
thlrd term in the Presidential office.
The Steel Trust has been his Immensely
contributing friend and supporter; so
has the Harvester Trust through the
liberal hand of Mr.. Pmkls; and now
thc puFont Powder Trust hus Joined in
nus support, These three great trusts
nold that COL Roosevelt IS. "a, he him.
self expresses it, tho only man for tho
Presidency in this alleged crisis in the
affairs Of the Repnbiic. The Fact that
other people DO not sec any Important
CRISIS, either on or II hand cuts no
Figure with these trust magnatcs Tbcv
consider that there is = crisis. and I'M
douhtedly that crisis in their estima-
ton is the prosecution Of the trusts uu-
der the sherman antitrust law, With
President rait IN the executive cbalr,
these prosecutions will 20 on according
to law, RS long as the law remains on
the statute book With Roosevelt in
the Presidential chair, the antitru
law would be ignored now, rs ii was
largely ignored before by him awhile
President: hence his trust support.
4 great many estimates are made of
money contributed by " the interests
to the Roosevelt campaign fund. The
report current in Wall street is that
close upon 81, 10000 has been spent thus
far in his interest. This can well be
believed since the reported expenses
of the primary campaign in Ohio are
reported at 100000 Money was spent
lavishly also in the New Jersey cam
paign and in the Pennsylvania cam
paign. In the effort to carry the single
county Of New York for Roosevelt,
$4,000 was poured out.
These lavish expenditures mt the pri-
maries constitute an iusuperable OBJ
lection to them. 1t is absolutely i'm
possible for a man who is not wealthy
to have any chance in a primary cam
paign. The fashion OF spending money
in these campaigns has taken deep root
in the political engineering Of cam
Daigns. II is not likely TO be given up.
Even tho requirement that the amount
IF money expended must he reported |
upon does in no way stop the eXpcndi- |
,ure, 1t is safe to say, further. that a
good deal more money is spent than is
'eported to have been spent, for it Is
that the spendcrs Of this money |
hould minimize TO as great an extent |
.- L. nj ,.brnb thpt |
pend in their efforts TO carry the Prl-
naries. But with an expenditure on
ne side Of $l,5OO.00O in a Presidential
Urinary, with a necessary expenditure
f large amount considerably less
han that, however, on the Taft side,
t is evident that politics under the
primary system is either the game Of !
he wealthy or Of enormous Interests |
hat will support given candidacy.
But this sort Of thing. in place OF
ringing the control of the peoples af-
airs right back to the people them
elves, as the demagogic claim is, taxes
/ emphatically away from the people,
nd lodges it with those who can pay
he enormous expenses which it is the
ashton to incur. Every time that there
g any move made nominally in the in
crest of the people and professedly to
i've back to the people the control Of
heir own affairs, ii is found in prac
ice and on analysis to mean simply the
anne old thing, pushing the people fur
her in the background than ever be
ore. and bringing forward as the real
actors that decide the primary, those
yho can pay the bills, 1t is pitiful TO
ee such false pretenses as this so
wildly welcomed by the people under
he supposition that the populace Is to
ret something out of it, when in fact
he interests that put up the money
will be certain TO so manage that they
will realize on their expenditure just
Is they do on other branches of their
always provided that they can
ool the people into believing that it is
he people who receive the benefit and !
.ot the interests that put UP the money.