406 THE QUESTIONS OF THE DAY. 



is honestly a protectionist, and upon what grounds can he 

 refuse to accept aid from those who desire what he seeks to 

 accomplish? Nevertheless, there is a personal obligation 

 created, and when the details of the bill come to be made up, 

 he would be more than human if he did not do his best to 

 do well for those who helped him, even to trading votes or 

 some detail to which he really objects. It is in these ways, 

 beginning way back in the primary elections for delegates to 

 the nominating conventions, that the Trusts expend their 

 money for the control of national and state politics. Every 

 county and every city has its coteries of bright men who are 

 strongly interested "for the good of tlie party," and wlio by 

 giving thought and study to detail are able to and do control 

 nominations. To a great extent these " politicians" are paid 

 outright by interested parties who may be hundreds of miles 

 away, to " fix " a delegation. In a general election, when theje 

 are many officers for which delegations are to be "fixed," there 

 is often quite a thriving business for a few ^nonths. In the 

 end these disinterested gentlemen seek nothing for themselves, 

 but are willing to accept places on the local party committees, 

 and be ready to " fix " delegations for some one else at the next 

 elections. Usually these local politicians will do nothing for 

 anybody except for money, and they are at the service of any 

 one who can pay them. Almost any one who lias ever been a 

 candidate for any office whose possession gives the power to 

 confer favor, could give interesting evidence as to the power of 

 money in politics, and the sources from which it comes. As a 

 rule, however, they can not be got to say anything. If they 

 have not received "aid," they can not prove anything. If they 

 have they do not wish to. The amount of money spent in 

 actual bribery of elected officers by Trusts, except in the case 

 of senatorial elections, I believe to be small. Comparatively 

 few men who can be elected to a responsible office can be 

 actually bribed. But they can be surrounded by influences 

 which, unless persons of very strong character, they are uuable 

 to resist. The influence of Trust money in controlling elec- 

 tions is unquestionably the most serious abuse of which Trusts 

 are guilty. The debauching of the local political mana- 



