The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-01-19
Another Letter From Mr.. Ralston.

To the Editor of the Prince Georges
Enquirer
Before dismissing the subject of cleo
toral corruption some further observa-
tions remain to be made AS in later
letters will be pointed out, misuse OF
power in connection with elections is
incident to multiplicity of officers elect
ed and the rewards to be gained from
Office holding Nevertheless the true
source of the major corruption in cleo
tions is TO be found in the great ad-
vantages 80 be secured to particular
persons or interests through legislation.
We have, therefore, aggregations OF
wealth fighting to increase their power
by CONT oil of government. The corrupt
voter feels and knows this, does not
perceive remedies, and vulgarly wants
'this" He argues that If tue larger IN
terests may make money through cleo
tions, there is no reason why he should
not share in moderate degree the gain
that is theirs The origin ofcorruDtion
thus lies far back of election day, and
fundamental relief is not to be had short
public appreciation of the fact of un-
lust wealth: the intelligent understand
ing of social remedies therefore and a
thorough national and state overhaul.
ing. If, as it is claimed, a single indi-
vidual contributed 100000 to. the cam
paign in the recent presidential cleo
ton, we may know that individual eX-
pected to multiply his investment
through control of public favors, and
if, as Senator Owen indicates, one man
collected and disbursed outside of cam
paign committees. S6.000,000, we may
form slight conception of the tremend-
Gus interests concerned in corruptlng
the public conscience. BREAD and
circuses" was the cry of the corrupted
citizenship of Rome as it was being
robbed of the public lands and wealth.
Graft and greenbacks" is our cry to-
day as we lose to few our vast natural
resources.
1t is not part. however, of my pur-
pose to discuss now at least these
gigantic social questions almost battling
answer. 1t will suffice for present pur
poses to remember that the Lilliputians
were able with their whip-cords and
their great numbers to bind down
CULVER. The training of the public
conscience through law and outside of
law will give US the whip-cord'
of beliefs educated into US as against
the evidence of our senses is found in
the idea that the people today rule in
Maryland. 1t is true that if the people
are solicitous for some certain relatively
minor reform they are likely after
while to obtain it in way which
"keeps the word of promise to the ear
to break it to the hope" A striking
IS 81, I,a
corrupt practices act of which | have
written We have the form without
the substance. 1t remains true that
only by active and virile insistence can
real reform in this respect or any other
be secured by the people. This insis-
tence meanwhile is regarded as sort
of impertinence by those who actively
control the destinies of the people, that
is to say, the party machine.
Our constitution says nothing Of
''bosses" or organizations" or
machines" but these extra constitu-
tional institutions furnish US eur rulers.
Direct primaries are on their slow way
to help bring about an alienation of
this condition and put government in
process of going where it belongs, in
the whole mass of the people. The
abolition of all primaries by the prefer.
entail ballot subject only commencing
to be discussed-will do more. A
corrupt practices act with real teeth,
instead of brittle store molars and
CANNES with India rubber backing,
would also help.
Our attacks on bosses and machine
are singularly ineffective. From time
10 time we indulge in spasms of virtue
and by attacking personalities, cultivate
in ourselves a conscious feeling of
righteousness, but the net result of all
this, If it have any concrete result, is
the temporary overthrow of one boss,
and the substitution of another, the
system remaining unchanged. Abuse
serves its purpose, but does not reach
the difficulty. Like sounding the fire.
bell at night, it may rouse one, but in
itself does not extinguish the fi~e or
teach US how to construct fire-proof
buildings. These spasmodic attacks on
bosses are as unavailing reform
agencies as New Years resolutions.
They carry with them no fundamental
change. Our present bosses are quite
as efficient as and no more dangerous
than the men for whom we might ex-
change them would speedily become.
We cannot expect the substitutes to
rise above the level of the surroundings
we give them, or to long deprecate or
refuse the assistance OF methods which
will secure them in their turn apparent
power or self.
Furthermore, the machine leader gives
the people the sort of government they
are content TO accept, and strives not
to take more of their money than they
are ready to give up without too loud
complaint. On the whole he is not
devoid of the feeling Of good citizen,
and would rather have some degree of
respectable government than not
Granting the negatively good qualities
Of machine leaders, and thew are many,
their powers are swollen and our gov
eminent accordingly wasteful and in
efficient. At the moment when we co
away with this wastefulness and render
our government more efficient, We sh I'll
diminish the wrongful power of ma
chimes. This is largely derived from
maintaining a multitude of retainers
who draw from the treasury without
rendering equivalent and whose ap
pointments aud elections are controlled
by the leaders themsel yes instead OF by
t. e peope or by the masses of the
different parties 1t is our duty, there
fore, while recognizing that they serve
proper function ia the economy Of
party management, to keep party ma
chimes strictly within their party sphere
not allowing them to displace the peo-
pie.
We may lay it down as premise that
the more "ffices the machine has ~ con
troll, the more petty graft it distributes
the more legislative and other favOrs it
can bestOw. the greater facilities it rr-
joys in the distribution of few dollars
on election day to its huml lie and mer-
cenary followers. then the greater will
be is power, and in exact proportion 20
this the power of the people at large |
will diminish
| shall in further letters consider |
some of the more important things sup
plying the machine with profit and .
power, but for the moment contine my
self to one Of the smaller leaks in
Maryland.
By The laws of many of the states of
he Union, school houses and other