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Show BORAH OBJECTS 10 PARTY GIFTS DONATIONS FROM CONCERNS INTERESTED IN-TERESTED IN LEGISLATION LEAD TO CORRUPTION Idaho Senator Scpres Buying of In. fluence With Political Organizations Organ-izations to Get Govern, ment Work Washington. So long as political parties seeking control of the government govern-ment accept vast contributions from those interested in matters of legislation legis-lation there will be "sinister and corupt and controlled government," Senator Borah, Republican, Idaho, declared in an address before the students' law enforcement convention. conven-tion. "In these days," Senator Borah said, "the government deals with all the vast concerns of business-, coal railroads, ships, oil, tariffs, and it is simply intolerable that political parties part-ies accept vast contributions from those vitally interested in thes-e matters. mat-ters. "These unusual sums are not given merely because of the common interest inter-est partisans have in their parties. Both political parties have for years placed themselves in an indefensibie position in these matters." Referring to revelations before senate committees, Senator . Borah said these must not be acceptea as an impeachment either of t'.ie American Ameri-can form of government or of the capacity ca-pacity of the people to rule. Rather should they be acceptd as a "call to duty to preserve and hand on to our posterity that inheritance which our forebears- gave into our keeping.'' "Through constitutional and lawful means," he added, "but in searching and remorseless fashion, let us make the hour of reckoning a memorable one. The day3 through which we are passing are the agony, but they may also be made the glory of a truly great self-governing people. "War brings waste, and extravagance, extrava-gance, and then corruption. "But the people of this country are sound, nevertheless. The government as a government is not corrupt. "There are honest and faithful public servants and loyal and patriotic patriot-ic constituents. There are men and women, thousands and millions of them, just as willing to sacrifice for the honor of their country and just as capable of serving the cause of clean government as were their forebears. fore-bears. But the demoralization consequent con-sequent upon the war does not tell the , whole story. The country was shocked to learn that a very large sum of money was given to a high official by a party having business with the government. What have we to say about an individual having business, or expecting to have business, busi-ness, with the government giving a very large sum of money to the political po-litical party, which is in control or seeking control of the entire machinery machin-ery of the government? "You can buy influence with a po-n litical party quite as effectvely as you can an individual. In the latter instance, in-stance, it is still denounced in ,the former instance it has become an accepted ac-cepted practice. "It appears, for instance, that one individual gave S50.0O0 to the Democratic Demo-cratic party and another $75,000 to the Republcan party, and both were expecting ex-pecting to do business with the government. gov-ernment. "Both political parties accept the system. So long as they do this, these specific instances of exposure may help to put one party in and the other party out, but the cause of clean government, gov-ernment, of disinterested and wise legislation and uncontrolled administration adminis-tration will not be greatly served." |