The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, October 29, 1903, Page 9

SUPPLEMENT TO BUTLER WEEKLY TIMES | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1903. BUTLER, : MISSOURI. | of Macedon did the work the treason of war had failed to do. Greece fell because corruption had weakened her national life. Rome attained a _ pinnacle of greatness and was undermined by the same insidious corruption that threat- ens us. Jugurtha, after he had cor- rupted the senate and bought the palace of Rome, declared that he could buy the entire city if he only had money enough. Since the beginning of history, gov- ernments of all kinds have lived and died. Republics as great as ours have existed and gone down into oblivion through the spirit of corruption, Where wars, pestilences and all other ca- lamities combined have destroyed one government, corruption has under- mined a score, Yet some say that doodling cannot be an isstie, that we ought not to get alarmed over a few cases of bribery. When one's house is on fire he is in no condition to argue about fine tapestries and orna- ments; he is more concerned in put: ting out the fire than anything else. So the people when boodling breaks out, as it has in Missouri, should make it their first and highest duty to put a stop to it. Selecting of Good Committeemen Im- portant, The Democratic party cannot be- come corrupt until a majority of the members of the party are corrupt, Ninety-nine per cent cf the rank and file of the Democratic party are honest and want good government, There is, however, a vicious minority which is | ever active. No good Deimocrat can afford not to take an active interest in public affairs at this critical period in the history of the state. Every man in-a repubtic-such-as ours should be a politician in the sense that he par- ticipate in the election of the repre sentatives of the people. The trouble has been there have been too few in politics for the public good, and too many for revenue only, The first duty of every Democrat is to secure the nomination of good men to office. The first action to this end Is to at- tend all primaries and to select dele- gates that will fully represent the will of the people. That this may be accomplished it is necessary that there should be an organization forming committees to determine the time, place and manner of electing dele- gates, and which, when nominations have been made, will direct the can- vass of the people that the voters may express their sentiments f¢rly by the ballot they cast. it is, therefore, of great importance to select good committeemen, honest men desirous of their party's success—not seeking their own aggrandizement or appoint- ment to office; but the welfare of the people. Organizations deteriorate into ma- chines when they are controlled by men who desire to use the party for | personal ends, regardless of the party's welfare. Every party should have an: organization, but the best machine any individual can have is the heart and conscience of the people. Elect Honest Representatives, Thomas Jefferson once said, “The | time to guard against corruption is be- fore it gets hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf from the fold than to trust to drawing his teeth and claws after he gets in.” One way to guard against the wolf of corruption is to elect to the General Assembly only men of known inegrity; men not pas- sively honest, but actively honest. Many men can be honest inactively, but what we need in public affairs is men who can be honest in action. Evil always comes out sooner or later, If a man’s character or life shows him to be susceptible to corrupt lobby influences, he should not be trusted, no matter how capable he may be. No capacity in a_ public official attones for dishonesty. We need in our legislative halls more aggressive honesty. Brilliancy and wit in a leg- islator are well enough, but common rugged honesty is better. Select Dem- ocrats as Senators and Representa- tives who will not tolerate a corrupt lobby; men who will not allow the ‘touch of an unclean dollar to con- taminate legislative halls; men . who ‘will speak out and denounce corrup- tion when they find it; men who will expose venality, not conceal it. Se- lect Democrats who will use their of- ficial functions solely for the public good. Officials are trustees of an ex- given him for his own ends. embezzle the people's power as the people’s money. One Commendable to Punish Crime. So long as the Democratic party serves the public better than any j other party, it is entitied to credit for selecting faithful public*servants, and it cannot escape responsibiliy for the unfaithful. No party has a mo- nopoly on the virtuous; neither are the vicious confined to one party. The weeding out of public corruption should be the mission of the Demo- cratic party. A Democratic law- breaker is no better than a Republican law-breaker. I do not agree with the Republican statesman who, when told that both candidates for a certain office were rascals, said: “Well, who is our damn rascal?” A rascal is no less so by calling himself a Democrat. I believe in exposing and punishing Democratic rascals the same as Re- publican rascals; Democrats just a little bit more than Republicans, be- cause they should know better. Of- ficials are not elected to prosecute only political opponents, but to enforce the law impartially against all of- fenders. The cloak of Democracy should be torn from him who tries to use it to hide his corruption. If wrong-doing exists, the sooner it is discovered and stopped, the better for the party and state. I do not believe in closing our eyes to corruption, for fear that by making a fuss about it the party might be injured. The only way to stamp out corruption is to hit it and hit {t hard whenever and where ever it shows itself, Let the people know who the rascals are. No honest man can be injured by exposure of the truth, The Democratic party stands for enforcement of law, It should not injure any party’to get rid of public plunderers. There are bood- lers in the Democratic party, but for my part I de not propose to allow | them to make me give up my party, but I propose to do all | can to get them out of the party. No Compromise, The slogan must be: | “No compromise with pubiie plun- | derers.” The Democratic party should stand for the “Missouri idea'-—thée unrelent: | ing exposure and punishment of official | grafters, The Democratic party snould | bring about the day in Missouri when | official integrity will be as sacred as female virtue and as zealously guard: | ed, “It is time,” said Samuel J. | Tilden, the great Democrat, “to ‘an- nounce and enforce the decree that he who plunders the people, though he | steal the livery of heaver to serve the | devil in, is no Democrat.” That doe: | trine should be as Democratic now as | it was when Tilden thundered ageinst the civie evils of his day. The boodler jis neither Democrat nor Republican; he is, above all, a public enemy. it Enforcement of Law. The Democratic party stands for law and order: The failure to enforce | the law begets corruption. The laws | {have its influence fer good or evil are made to be enforced, not, to be disregarded, If the law be bad. the remedy is to repeal, not to ignore, When some Jaws are not enforced, lack of respeci for a!! law is engendered. There is entirely too little respect for {the majesty of the law in America. | The reason. is the laxity with which laws are enforced. Too often officials | are so beuad up by entangling promises made to secure party nominations or | elections, that when they get in office their hands are tied. The doctrfe that all are equal before the law sounds wéll, but has a rather startling effect when put into practice. The prosecuting officer will find himself the subject of the most vicious personal attacks from those he is trying to bring to justice without malice or ill will. It is easy cnough to bring up some wretch who picks a pocket or steals a loaf of bread, but it is quite another thing when the law is put against those who clean out whole mu- nicipal larders and plunder the people of an entire city or state. I would like to see the law admin- istered in Missouri so evenly, so fairly, so justly that no man will be above or below the law. I would like to see the law enforced without regard to party friendship or kindred. I would like to see it so that if a prosecut- ing officer in any county will not carry out his oath of office he wi!l be compelled to give way for some one else who can. Then we will have in Missouri “Equal rights to all, special privileges to none.” a Now is the Time. If the corruptionists are ever to be overcome in Missouri, now is the time. It is not likely that so much material will be found against them again... I want the Democratic party to have the credit of accomplishing their complete overthrow. All these exposures wilt be of no benefit unless the people do something about it. Ev: ery individual Democrat—for I speak to you particularly now—has a work to do. The corruptionists are shrewd and they have millions of money. will try to deceive you. They present subtle arguments to show that they are in favor of good government with the usual “but.” Even the boodiers themselves may. denounce ;boodling in public. But how sincere are they? Their reformation is too sudden to be lasting; their highest de- Sire is to soothe the people into a false sense of security so that they may have further opportunity for plunder- ing. There is nothing the boodiler fears so much as an aroused public conscience. The boodler§ are strong, their ramifications are startling; their influence in both political parties is great. They are well entrenched and are fighting desperately for their po- litical lives, but with the manhood of the Democratic party united in patn- otic endeavor, they will be routed and overwhelmed. There are some pessi- mists who believe the corruptionists will control the Democratic party. I do not believe it, When one goes over the state and sees the Missouri Democrat in his daily life of sturdy honesty and recognizes his sterling character, built on the rock of prinel- ple, transmitted to him by his fathers, all doubts must disappear, for with that reservoir Cx virtue to draw from the result of the fight for good gov- ernment cannot be in doubt. As to the Governorship. A great deal has been said about the governorship of Missouri, This is an honor that any man/might well covet and no man refuse. ‘| have been asked as to my position in reference to the mentioning of my name for that high office, To you, my frieads, I have no hesitancy in saying that If my party, in the exercise of its partiality, rees fit to name me for that place, I should be recreant to my duty were I to do otherwise than accept. I do not claim to have done anything to en- title me to this distinction. Nor would I take it as a reward for my humble endeavors to bring about a_ better condition in municipal and state af- fairs. I have, in the place of trust assigned to me, tried to do my duty under my oath of office to my city and to my state. How well | have sue: | ceeded [ cannot say, but T have done my best, and, after all, the most that eny man can do in public and private life is to do his best, 1 want no com- pensation for doing my duty other than the approval ef the people. The gov- eruorship offers tremendous — oppor- tunities for the accomplishment — of public good, yet if the party bestows that honor upon another, | shall not complain, and shall give him my loyal support, There are many honest men in the Democratic party, many more worthy than [ of this distinetion. At this critical period in the history of our party and the state, no man's am- biticn should be considered, but the good of the party and public should alone be kept in view. Individuals are of but passing moment; principles are immortal, The question is not what any individual wants, but what the people want. The individuals men- | thoned in this connection will soon pass away, but the effect of what the people of Misscuri do in this crisis will go thundering down the ages and on coming generations. There is one thing cortain, that if I knew | could get the governorship by compromising with the forces of evil, and that without this | could not get it, I would not have it. I had rather—a thousand times rather—-re- tire to private life, conscious of having | been trieto-my conception ct public eatest office | in the land by being false to my better | duty, than to have the nature, There is more honor in honest private life than in high official po- sition gained by sacrifice of principle. So, there you have what I really think on this question. | ask you, my friends, to believe that this is all there is of it; all that is selfish, | mean, The faith of my friends—-and by my friends | mean those whose hands I have never shaken, as well as those I have—is al] I have to go on. I ask you to believe in my sincerity, because, whatever the outcome may be, I want to keep that. I will not resign the office | have been assigned to for the purpose of electioneering for another, neither will 1 neglect the duties of that office, go- ing around seeking a higher position. Of necessity, my time will be so occu- pied with official work yet unfinished, but which I hope to have completed early next year, that I will have little cpportunity to make speeches over the state. At such times as the public service will permit, I shall be glad to express'my views on public questicns to my fellow citizens. In the discharge cf my duties as Circuit Attorney of St. Louis I have had the support and assistance of honest men of all parties and of re- spectable newspapers, regardless of political affiliations. I appreciate their support and it has been of valuable service in the battle against the or- ganized public pilferers. While in the discharge of my official duties I have endeavored to do so regardless of party, considering a criminal as such, whether he be black or white, rich or poor, Democrat or Republican, Protestant or Catholic. I stand before you tonight as the individual, as & Democrat speaking to Democrats, hav- ing at heart the welfare of our party and the good of our beloved state. What I have had to say and what I shall say is to Democrats.. Whether I shall be called upon to be the stand- ard bearer of the party is for Demo crats dlone to say. I do not expect and do not want any boodler’s support. As long as God gives me “life. whether in public or | private statgon. | propose to fight them and do all in my power to drive them from Missouri. I have no favors to ask of them and no quarter to give; it is unrelenting warfare. I am proud of the fact that they are all my bitter enemies, Party Loyalty. I want the Democratic party to be the party of civic righteousness. True Democracy abhors corruption. I be- lieve in exposing and punishing cor- ruption in the Democratic party as well as in the Republican party. The Democratic party shall not with my consent be used as a cloak for vil- lainy. There is no magic in a party name to change crime into innocence. That there are corrupt men in the Democratic party no sane man doubts. We cannot keep them from being in the party, but we ought to keep them from running the party. I have too much respect for my par- .ty, too much love for my state, to vote for a boodler even though his name be on the Democratic ticket. Partisanship does not mean the con- doning of offenses by those calling themselves Democrats for they are Democrats in name only, Some par- tisans insist that the test of loyalty is to stand by the party right or wrong? to defend the corrupt mem- bers regardless of decency. This pol- icy puts a premium on corruption and weakens the party by driving decent men from it, The man who sees no more in Democracy than this does pot | know what Democracy means, He | mistakes policy for principle. He is | the aid of the boodler and the support of the corrupt leader. Under our po- litical system party organizations are necessary, and in order that party or- ganization may be kept up honest par- ty workers should enjoy the fruits of party victory. Party organization must be maintained -and-party leaders” sustained when right, but party loyal- ty does not require personal approval of individual dishonesty or party de- fense of corruption, It is said that this doctrine would lose 30,000 Democratic votes {n St. Louis, [ deny that there are that many Democratic -boodlers In St. Louis | or anything like it. Think of the arro- gance of boodlers who claim that much strength in St. Louis! Such a claim is a slander on the Democratic party in St. Louis. The time has come when boodle votes and boodle advice must not govern in the councils of the party. Any man nominated on any ticket in Missouri at this time to please the boodle influences should be buried under an avalanche of civic | righteousness If the Democratic party cannot win without boodler votes as some claim, then [ say that it is far better to go down to honor: | able defeat than to dishonorable vic- tory Dishonest men always try to hide behind the shield of party. They try to make it appear that attacks on them are slanders oh the party to} which they belong. They ery loudest for party when most afraid of the avenging hand of the law. They mis- take the refused in the past and shal! always decline to advocate on the stump even by indirection things | have denounced in court. It will always be my pleas- ure to defend my party from unjust attacks, but if there be anything wrong or corrupt even within the party | shall make the attack myself Republican Support. There has been a great deal of com- plaint about the interest of Republi- cans in Democratic affairs. The rank and file of the Republican party is hoa- est. Let them take all the interest they please in Democracy. I should like to see every Republican in Mis- souri change his politics and vote the Democratic ticket. The Democratic lamp should always be burning and any honest Republican who knocks at the door of the party should be gladly welcomed. But no boodling Republi- can need apply; if he does I will be one to cast a black ball against him. We need all the votes we can get aad it is folly to run them off. If the Democratic ticket can get no Republi- can votes and the Republican ticket polls Democratic votes it does not take a prophet to foresee disaster to the party. Let us ask al! decent and honest citizens to join with us in the fight against corruption, and the over- throw of wrong and the enthroning of right. The Democratic party is the party of honesty. Let us keep it so. It has always been the pafty of good government in the State. Let us see that it continues to be. As you love your party may you defend it from those who would debauch it for selfish ends. The people—the Democrats, who are so from principle, are now in the saddle, and Democrats for revenue only must take a back seat. The, way of right and justice must be fo regardless of immediate success. ‘ us not forget the grave resting upon the Abate °or let us look for guidance to the pri ples of true Democracy which, “Are elves for the party. [have | enduring Because they are right, and | invincible because they are just.” Paramount Issue. The eradication of bribery Is there fore the paramount issue before the | people of Missouri. Let the Democra- cy of Missouri speak in thunder tones upon this mighty issue. The result of the fight here will give encourage ment and cheer to the law-abiding everywhere, or discourage and de press. It is not a question who should occupy this or that office, who should be Governor. If partial friends have mentioned my name in that connec tion they agree with me that the in- terests of the public are above any person, I believe in the honesty of the great masses, They are against cor ruption, They believe in the »perfee tion of the government established by the fathers. Our splendid educational system has spread amongst them an intelligence of the advantages of the political organization under which we live. Their love of country and of party is beyond question, Let any danger arise from foreign aggression and at a moment's notice a milifon sturdy hands will grasp the sabre and the musket to defend the safety and honor of the state and nation, And that same spirit exists among the people to protect the state's safety and honor from domestic foes. Our greatest domestic foes are those who would destroy by corrupt and erimina) methods the intent and spirit of our institutions, deprive the people of their honest expression of opinion at the ballot box, thwart their efforts for | just and necessary legislation, impede | and vitiate the administration of the law, and poison the fountains of jus- tice. The principal weapon of these domestic foes is bribery, which is even now beginning to be a serious menace to the nation itself, It-is not ¢onfined to Missouri. Throughout the length and breadth of the land it exists. In the prosperity of the people and thelr devotion to business Interests they | have forgotten that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” But they are ready to fight Mese doniestic foes, not with bullets, but with ballots and the law. There is as much patriotism tn the ballot as in the bullet. The people are aroused to the condition of things, They foresee the dangers ahead, un- less bribery and corruption be stamp- ed out. They realize that it is not a question of this or that man's candi- dacy, but one of principle, the triumph of which {s above all personal consid- erations.- Not alone in Missouri {s the patriotic spirit moving against the powers of evil such as we are fight- ing here. From Missouri the senti- ment has spread throughout the land, Other and important political {ssues require consideration and solution, but above all issues there stands pre- eminent the issue of obtaining purity | and honesty in the making and admin- istering of law in every department of | the government, municipal, state and national, ‘ My friends, it is no exaggeration to say that the eyes of the world are on Missour!, to see what the people here are going to do’ on this momentous question. If this great state, with its glorious history, witi its memories of illustrious statesmen, who have added | lustre to the pages of our country’s | history, should shrink from the task, | then ft might well be believed that the feta of the public conscience | | | has begun. But the people of Missou- ri are not going to retreat; they are going to charge the stronghold of the corruptionists again and again untt! it is shattered by the shafts of the law ‘and riddled by the mighty power of public opinion. Let Missouri be dis- tinguished as no other state is distin- guished for good government. Let Missouri lead the other states and set an example for them to follow. When insolent corruption sneeringly asks: “What are you going to do about it?” let our answer be given by hundreds of thousands of patriotie Missourt Democrats, who hate corruption and despise wrong. Then Missour!, the fifth state in population, will be the first in civic righteousness and Amert- can manhood. True Democracy means the rule of the people. It {s time for the people of Missouri to do their own thinking, and take the government into their own hands, where It belongs. With the Missouri Democracy true to its traditions on the side of civie hon- or the hosts of error will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day. [Seren Se wer womm oy wrengee