Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-10
THE DOLLAR IN POLITICS
WON TOO MANY VICTORIES

Experience Has Proved the Wisdom
Of MeAdoo's Suggestion for Gov
ernment-Aided Candidates
As ONE who has passed into the
"A political Great Beyond and there
found tranquility and joy, Mr.. McAdoc
can speak without prejudice of what he
sees when it pleases him to glance down
into the vale of tears where candidate,
for Office sweat, bleed, pose, lie and
maui each other pitilessly.
The One Man Who Wouldn't BE
President differs in some ways from the
rest of us. He triumphed by renuncia :
tion. He is free, as an Oriental would
say. from the wheel of things. He
occupes a place Of lordly isolation in
the gallery. Indeed, he is almost the
only one there. and he is therefore
specially privileged to make remarks OF
critical nature. This is fortunate for
the country. For, had Mr.. McAdoo
been a candidate. he might have hesi-
tated before entreating the American
people to clean the national elective
system of money, even if they have to
pay the expenses of candidates out of
the public treasury.
Many men believe as Mr.. McAdoo
believes. But no one can expect an
active politician to attack and denounce
the force that sustains him in a place
of eminence and authority.
Money in politics is and has been rot
and mildew in the institutions Of our
government. Yet the people have rever
objected seriously to the system by
which self interested groups gamble in
political futures" and purchase likely
candidates in advance of their election.
Elected officers of government are
supposed to represent the people. Most
of the people are poor or relatively poor.
A poor man or relatively poor man
should make an ideal President. But
as matters stand great deal of money
must be spent in the interest of any
candidate who hopes to reach the White
House-more money, as a matter of
fact. than even a moderately rich man
could afford to put into his own cam
paign. How, then, can a man be ex-
pected to think of and with the people
If one invisible group or another has an
advance lien on him?
Mr.. McAdoo said he was too poor to
run for the presidency. If only a rich
man or a man surrounded by flock of
rich angels can attain that Office; if
the selection of President is to be left
in the hands of a constantly narrowing
group, we as a people will continue to
help the propagandists of unrest and
spread disillusionment among increas-
ing numbers. If the time ever comes
when money can inspire our govern
mental policies the republic will no
longer be safe. That happened in Ger
many. 1t has happened in other Euro
pean states. 1t is a tainpreliminary
to national catastrophe of one sort or
another.
Money works in devious ways its
wonders to perform. Campaign mana
gers in all political parties have put it
to uses never dreamed Of by the general
public. Money helps to sustain a
bigoted, one ideaed partisan press that
works consistently in many parts of the
country to poison common opinion, to
befeg the collective mind of large COM
munities and to hinder those who would
like to make rational thinking a ma
tional characteristic in America. In
many states and municipalities money,
improperly used, makes it possible for
political heelers to mobilize illiterates
and Illustrate the will of the intelligent
majority.
Whether you look at the personally
conducted gang in this city or at the
Baird machine in New Jersey or at
Tammany or at the larger organizations
with national influence in which these
units are working parts, you will have
to feel that money is the root of almost
all political evil, Great campaign funds
will at some time or other be considered
as dangerous as poison in wells.
Mr.. McAdOo touched only the surface
of the general problem when he sug-
gested that the federal government ap-
propriate funds to pay the legitimate
expenses of presidential candidates and
then outlaw all private contributions.
For the dangerous corruption of the
election machinery has begun at the
bottom and national elections cannot
be altogether free from corrupt inlu-
ences unless thcre.is a universal clean
ing up in the states and the congress
sional districts.
No one will doubt that a great many
men are moved by honest conviction and
even by patriotic motive to give fnan-
cial help to one party or another which
appears to reflect policies safest for the
nation. But it is undeniable that most
of the large funds for every campaign
come from men or groups who have
interests of their own to serve and who
expect. as Mr.. McAdoo says. to make
stupendous profits from the pccuniary
investments.
In recent years, since methods of
propaganda were elaborated and refined
to an almost unbelievable degree, cam
paign funds have tended to grow larger
even while the need for their elimina-
tion became the more obvious. 1t is
by methods of propaganda that money
can most easily be made a hidden
agency of hidden purposes and a force
likely to throw victory to the highest
bidder.
Even governments are now appro-
priating vast sums for propaganda,
though propaganda is nothing but an
artificial and subtle method for the de-
liberate creation Of mass opinion favor
able to nose who can afford to pay the
price. Honest newspapers have to be
nj 10 Nkns Il.