Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-10-29
ny POSITION In THE CAMPAIGN
CONTINUED from page three.)

and to get this vote there is no al
tentative, we must beat the other
fellow to it with siush, or he with
bea us to it, we are fighting the devil
with fire, and with this reasoning
they justify themselves. / say Jus
tify," for a man never does any
thing but what he justifies himself
with himself, either before or after
he does it. No man can be on
friendly terms with his conscience
otherwise.
/ believe they are honest in the
stand they take, in the statements
they make. but | believe they are
wrong. dead wrong.
l don't believe it is right to do
wrong to win. | believe we have
less to fear from the ignorant, illit-
crate, short-sighted dishonest
slushee, than from the intelligent,
well educated, far seeing slushor.
1t is dishonest intelligence rather
than dishonest ignorance that
threatens our body polite in town,
county, state and nation.
| believe the intelligent slushor
who slushes 100 ignorant. voters is
100 times as corrupt as each slushee
he slushes. This is a simple mathe-
NAUTICAL problem.
While there doubtless is ignor-
ance and corruption amongst us, I
do not believe these vorters are as
corrupt as charged.
don't believe they are as ignorant
and stupid as charged; they show a
capacity for education; we are edu-
eating them; they are getting wise,
they are getting harder to handle;
/ am told they are getting more each
year for their votes and the situation
is growing worse.
i believe that if we would spend
one-half of the money to educate
them to good citizenship that we
now spend to corrupt them we would
do, not only a wise and commend
able, but a profitable act.
/ would not create the impression
that | think | posses a monopoly on
political integrity. If | did not be-
lieve that a majority of voters in
Cameron county possessed their pro
rata Of it | would be foolish to waste
my time in talk.
| believe that a very large per-
centage of men want their govern
ment run on a basis of integrity.
Even the man who may do things
In business that are SHADY desires
and demands that his government be
honest.
But let us drop the matter of po-
litical integrity and morality and
let us consider the slush fund evil
from a standpoint of business exped-
iency. from the standpoint Of ''Busi-
ness is business" which statement
covered a multitude of sins in the
business world.
III Business is Business let us
form a little "Anti-vote buyers as
sociation," or a "non-partisan anti
corruption trust" If we fear gov
eminent interference because of the
restraint of trade" in votes, we
could simplify it by all entering into
a "gentlemen's agreement" to dis
continue the slush fund, and simply
say to this ignorant, corrupt and
NuhSClOuS OOlt we near SD Wucn
about: Hombre, no more music.
money or mescal. w are going to
elevate n purify you now by let
ting you alone: you can go plum to
the polls and vote as you please.
or you can stay away and not vote
at all. 1t is immaterial to us which
you do for we are ourselves now re-
formed. | believe that the rs per
cent of them would continue to vote
as they do now, and the % per cent
having no incentive to vote would
drop out. We would save our money
and our bushes. if we have any.
We a eradicate this terrible evil
by this simple business method IL
we really want to do it, and if we
are really honest in declaring that
we are forced to do it, because the
other fellow does it. No one can
consistently object to it, for if we
have not sufficient business ability
to grasp the point and enter into the
agreement, and sufficient political in
tegriy to keep this agreement, we
certainly have not sufflcfent business
AlA dud POlll1CdL lHlCSlllN W
handle the affairs of the county and
we should run for the brush instead
of for office.
1t is my intention to contribute to
the funds of both parties equally if
they will accept it; if they will O.
X. and send to my Office at San Be-
nito itemized bills for certain legitr-
mate expenses, such as printing, hall
rent for speakers, literature, etc, I
will pay them with my personal
voucher to the amount of 500 for
each party, and a list Of these items
will be furnished to the San Benito
Light and the Brownsville Herald
for publication.
If it is necessary to flight the devil
with fire" this method will, if enough
voters adopt it. act like a hand gre
made. 1t would extinguish the fire
and put the devil out of bushes.
Why contribute to both parties?
Because | shall support men in both
parties. If men are elected from both
parties and serve the public the