| Show THE CUSTOMARY SCANDAL Wo doubt that there was ever a Senatorial Senator-ial election in California in which charges of bribery and corruption were not preferred ferred Such charges seem naturaland II so closely associated with these periodical occasions that an election in which they I were not presented would be startlingly exceptional The accusations come with such regularity and certainty that if ono believes them he must also believe that it is the rule among Californians to send cor rupt men to the legislature There can be no giving of bribes unless there is an acceptance ceptance of them It is to the credit of the lawmakers on this occasion that the charge comes from a somewhat disreputable source M H DE VODNG finding it impossible to induce a majority of the assembly to vote for him for the Senatorship a failure on his part which is decidedly credit able to the intelligence and honesty of the solons withdraws from the race and in doings presents the customary accu sation of bribery Unless he shall offer positive proof of his charges mighty little stock will be taken in his allegations for the people of California do not have the most supreme confidence in the truthfulness truthful-ness and rectitude of Mr Dn YOUNG His reputation a journalist and as a politician has not been such as to inspire the public with absolute trustfulness in the truth of his assertions However ought not the people of California Cali-fornia to resolve among themselves that they will take a course to put a stop to this perpetual scandal of bribegiving and vote buying > The state is forty years old the majority of the inhabitants were born after the creation of the state the renegades and adventurers who once formed a conspicuous and controlling element in the community are in the insignificent minority and for a generation law and order have held sway And yet there seems to be just as much corruption as when lawlessness prevailed and men did not profess an extraordinary egree of honesty and purity in political actions The way to put a stop to the scandal is for the people to put a stop to the practice of sending corruptible mon to the legislature There are thousands of able and good men in California against whom the charge of bribetaking would never be presented even by the reckless and slanderous tongues which wag so readily now As long as the1 legislatures are made up of politicians and those who are not above suspicion bribery will be charged at every Senatorial election and the successful candidate will have the cloud upon his title that he purchased the seat for cash while those who voted for him will not bs able to convince the people that their votes were not bought California is so great a state that her people should take a course to end these scandals which come up every time a Senator is to be elected |
