The
statements he made furnish an interesting background for the
developments of the year. At that time he said:
"Let me lay particular emphasis on the necessity of safeguarding
the suffrage thought of the state from the dangers of corrupt
influences. The sums of money expended for so-called political
purposes are assuming such magnitude as to cause seemingly well-
founded alarm, if not to justify the belief that the legitimate
purpose of campaigning is being exceeded. Unfettered by law,
this tendency might result in the waters of our free
institutions being poisoned at their very base. Reduced to
simple terms, the object of a campaign is to inform the voters
on every subject that legitimately and germanely joins to the
issues and the candidates. Any step beyond this, and any project
opposed to it in motive, cannot but be regarded as dangerous.
Human frailties should not be played upon by vast treasures of
money advanced by men or movements whose huge disbursements can
hardly be looked upon as of patriotic inspiration. It is not
necessary to expend large amounts of money for the promotion of
a worthy cause, and, inversely, any cause or candidacy having
behind it unprecedented financial support is likely to be
regarded with suspicion. It may, through legislation, be
necessary to restrain irresponsible organizations whose
existence and activities are born of a hidden design, conceived
by some interest afraid to operate in the open.
Pages:
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89