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Show PROGRESS IN POLITICAL MORALITY. , The discussion of the campaign funds of General Wood and Governor Lowden brings the subject of the use of money in politics into play again. This question resolves itself into two main elements. First, how much money is it proper to spend in a primary or an election campaign and, secondly, from what sources is it proper to get this money. In both aspects there has been a great progress in the last generation. Twenty-five years ago money was openly and corruptly cor-ruptly used to advance presidential candidacies ; newspapers were bribed and delegates were purchased outright. In 1888, General William T. Sherman explained the defeat of his brother's presidential presi-dential candicacy in his usual blunt fashion: "Alger bought all John's niggers." Though such performances are not entirely unknown un-known today the southern delegates are still a blot on Republican Repub-lican conventions this procedure, as a system, has become extinct. ex-tinct. Yet money is still spent in fairly large amounts. Even the Wilson campaign funds which set a new mark in moderation reached a high figure which included obligations which were generally fulfilled. On the question of the amount of money the public realizes that some money is necessary but it also unmistakable feels that the less spent the better. The public realizing that some money is necessary knows that it must come by donations but it certainly would prefer small donations from a few people.- If a man gives anything from $10 to $1,000 to a campaign fund it can be considered a gift, but if a man gives from $100,000 to $500,000, the public feels that a candidate candi-date is morally bound to do something in return. This has generally gen-erally been the habit in the present administration as well as in all its predecessors. Nevertheless, the public does not like the practice and the fact that even so fine a character as Colonel Procter gave $500,000 to the Wood candidacy hurt its chances. The people who believe in the primary are confronted with the problem of making it workable under present conditions without with-out violating the very healthy growth of public opinion against the use of large sums of money and particularly against the use of large sums derived from single individuals.- World's Work Editorial. |