Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-05-02

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hood was wrapped in that chastity OF
honor which felt stain like wound!'
1t is one of the happy circumstances
of our time that the most intelligent OF
our business men have seen the mis-
take as we'll as the immortality of the
whole bad business. The alliance be-
tween business and politics has been a
burden to them-an advantage, no
doubt, upon occasion, but very ques-
tionable and burdensome advantage. II
has given them great power, but 1t has
also subjected them to a sort Of slav-
cry and bitter sort Of subserviency to
politicians They are anxious to be
freed from bondage as the country is
to be rid Of the influences and methods
which it represents. Leading business
men are now becoming great factors In
the emancipation Of the country from
a system which was leading from bad
to worse. There are those, Of course.
who are welded to the old ways and
who will stand out for them to the last,
but they will sink into minority and
be overcome. The rest have found that
their old excuse (namely, that 1t was
necessary to defend themselves against
unfair legislation) is no longer good
excuse; that there is better way of
defending themselves than through the
private use Of money. That better way
is to take the public into their conf
dence, to make absolutely open all their
dealings with legislative bodies and
legislative officers. and let the public
Judge as between them and those with
whom they are dealing.
This discovery on their part Of what
ought to have been, obvious all along
points out the way Of reform; for un-
doubtedly publicity comes very near
being the cure-all for political and eco
nomic maladies Of this sort. But pub
licity will continue to be very difficult
so long as our methods Of legislation
are so obscure and devious and private.
I think 1t will become more and more
obvious that the way to purify our pol
itics is to simplify them, and that the
way to simplify them is to establish
responsible leadership. We have had
no leadership at all inside our legisla-
tive bodies,-at any rate, no leadership
which is definite enough to attract the
attention and watchfulness Of the
country. Our only leadership having
been that of irresponsible persons out
side the legislatures who constitute the
political machines, 1t has been extreme
ly difficult for even the most watchful
public opinion to keep track Of the cir
cuitous methods pursued. This un-
doubtedly lies at the root of the growing
demand on the part Of American COM
munities everywhere for responsible
leadership, for putting in authority and
keeping in authority those whom they
know and whom they can watch and
whom they can constantly hold to ac-
count The business Of the country
ought to be served by thoughtful and
progressive legislation, but 1t ought to
be served openly. candidly, advantage
ously, with q careful regard to letting
everybody be heard and every interest
be considered, the interest which is not
backed by money-as- well as the inter-
est which is; and this can be accom-
| plished only by some simplification Of
our methods which will centre the pub
lie trust in small groups Of men who
will lead, not by reason Of legal author
ity, but by reason Of their contact with
and amenability to public opinion.
am striving to indicate my belief
that our legislative methods may well
be reformed in the direction Of giving
more open publicity to every act, in
the direction Of setting up some form
Of responsible leadership on the floor
of our legislative halls 80 that the peo-
pie may know who Is back Of every
bill and back Of the opposition to 1t,
and so that 1t may be dealt with In
the open chamber rather than In the
committee room. The light must be
| let in on all processes Of lawmaking.
| Legislation, as we nowadays con-
duct it, is not conducted in the open.
1t Is not threshed out in open debate
upon the floors of the assemblies. 1t
is, on the contrary, framed, digested
and concluded in committee rooms.
It is in committee rooms that legis-
lation not desired by the interests dies.
| 1t is in the committee rooms that leg
islation desired by the interests is
framed and brought forth. There Is
not enough debate on it in the house,
in most cases, to disclose the real
meaning Of the proposals made.
Clauses lie quietly unexplained and
unchallenged in our statutes which
contain the whole gist and purpose Of
the act; qualifying phrases which es-
cape the public attention, casual de-
finitions which do not attract atten-
ton, classifications so technical as not
to be generally understood, and which
every one most intimately concerned
is careful not to explain or expound.
contain the whole purpose Of the law.
Only after it has been enacted and
has come to adjudication in the courts
is its scheme as a whole divulged.
The benef1ciaries are then safe behind
their bulwarks.
or course, the chief triumphs Of
committee work, of covert phase and
unexplained classification, are &C
complished in the framing Of tariffs.
Ever since the passage Of the out
rageous Payne-Aldrich tariff act, our
people have been discovering the con-
cealed meanings and purposes which
lay hidden in it. They are discover
ing item by item how deeply and de-
liberately they were deceived and
cheated. This did not happen by ac-
ci6ent. II cama ahout nv design. by