Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-11-01
TREMENDOUS sum |.
70. ELECT ,GAPPER
:dItOr's Expensive Campaign a Sign
.. Of Danger,
S SPENDING MONEY FREELY
I, Flah:Isg for HIrseIf and is Foot
Ing the elIIs-f Pss to OIL
- But Wealthy, ee>

-
There is one phase OF the candidacy
Of AstLur Capper on wiish TOO much
stress cannot be laid, and that is the
tremepdcps expense entai'ed in the
effort to elect him,
For YOU must bear in mind that hin |
campaign. is not a party one-9 paid for
out or amultitude of smSll eortrlbu- |
lions given by the faithful fer the
purpose Of paying q party's smpaign
expense. He 10 fighting not FOR party, !
but fer himself; he is footing the bills
and seeing to II that results accrue
to himself alone and he. is paying mo
attention whatever to the success OF
his party, or to- the candidates on his
party ticket. o.
Ard his is the most expensive cam.
paign ever witnessed In Kansas. Be
fore the primary every nook oand cor
ner Of the state was reached by
means Of the msilsAand that costs
considerable monsS Heomaintalned 4
force at work In Topeka looking after
the .Capper political interests-and
that means a steady drain on his pr
vate purse.
THOUSANDS FOR ADVERTISING.
Now he is getting into the columns.
Of practically every country paper in
Kansas, by means Of paid advertise.
ments issued supposedly by the Cap
per-for-Governor Club" a club com.
posed of Capper and his paid agents.
and these advertisements are paid
for, not by the party, but by the can,
didate himself.
What does 1t al mean? Can a man
AFFORD to pay out many times. the
amount OF salary attached to an OF.
fee In order to secure the honorl.
What is behind this movement to en-.
compass an election, regardless Of
cost?
But We are not looking fer an uI.
terror motive in the readiness OF Mr..
Capper to spend his money freely in
o.Ger to gain Office. What we are. con-
cerned in is the danger in the course;
in the putting up Of notice that none
but rich men can hope to aspire to
public honors and to the plain mani.
festo that the farmer, and the farm.
er's son, the tradesman of limited
means, the lawyer or professional
man who has brains In plenty, 'bu,
only a limited bank account. must
never presume to be a candidate for
public Office.
is BANK ACCOUNT ESSENTIALLY
Time was when the son OF the
humblest was taught that the high
est Office in the gift OF the people was
not beyond him. Can we AFFORD to
tack on a proviso at this late day
that a bank account is an essential
to our appreciation of talent? Lin
coin could never have risen IL he had
to meet the Capper standard; Garfield
Cleveland Harrison, Jackson al
would have remained out. of public
! life If they had to depend upon an
enormous personal bank account. tc
pay the way. ..
The tendency is to limit cost O,
campaigning by means of law. and II
the absence Of such laws the people
should by their ballots repudiate tn,
candidate who utilizes wealth to gal,
Office. If this is not done the door o
opportunity is closed upon ability ant
integrity, while it opens wide at tn.
summons Of the dollar: II II Is no
done, there VIII neither be a prospec
OF or an incentive to better the pub
lie service. ..
Think it over, Mr.. Farmer. II Vol
approve Of the candidacy Of a mai
who is spending money layishly in OIL
der to secure Office, you are puttinl
the stamp of approval on a system
which will result in none but rich me-
and the sons Of rich men ever gel
ting political honors in Kansas. Th
way to stop it is to repudiate tn
man who acts on the theory that a
elective office should go to the ON
who bids the highest for II.