Judge Cahill Speaks Truth

JUDGE CAHILL SPEAKS TRUTH

Ex-Judge Cahill of the supreme court in a Decoration Day address at Lansing, touching upon the present gubernatorial campaign, said an election in Michigan was a useless trouble and expense, that it was much easier to award the office to the highest bidder. He declared that today the rich man embarks in politics in same way he embarks in any other enterprise, the first question being "How much capital is required to set up and work the machinery?" He said politics is rapidly becoming a trade and instead of each individual exercising his independent judgment in public affairs, men hire themselves out as political Hessians to do battle for the highest bidder. These flatter the vanity of the rich and get the rich man to embark in political matters as a promoter does in commercial matters. There is undoubtedly too much truth in this statement and herein lies the greatest danger to government by and for the people. We are right in the midst of just such a campaign now. But for these political Hessians who handle the money of the millionaire candidates, men of the Bliss stamp would stand no chance whatever of being elevated to the governorship. They buy their nomination and then trust to party discipline to elect them, knowing full well that party loyalty with the people is apt to be put above principle. Of course, the people themselves are not wholly blameless in this. They may not be corrupted by the influence of money directly, but they are, to say the least, extremely careless about the kind of men they put in office periodically, only that they bear the proper party label. There cannot help but be grave danger in such sacrifice of principle and honor to party ascendancy.