Coplay High School - Coplayite Yearbook (Coplay, PA)

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Invisible government, tin curse of American politics for nearly half a century, has baffled the progress of our free institutions; it has, repeatedly, nullified the verdict of the American people at the ballot box. Surreptitiously, it purchases the talents of men of great influence in all political parties to promote its greedy and selfish ends. It supports corrupt, not party, politics. It knows neither Democrat nor Republican. It writes meaningless phrases in political platforms to cajole the writers and it knows but one party—the party in power. It has oftentimes been said, also, that organized wealth has for many years, under Republican and Democratic administrations, alike, controlled the government of the United States through precisely the same methods. The deplorable thing is that this instance of bribery and corruption at the cost of the people and the government is not alone nor singular. Bribery is everywhere at work. The virus has infected every part of the body politics. It poisons the courts, the legislatures, the Congress and the Cabinet ministry. This political immorality which has forecast the ruin of nations throughout all history is beginning to rear its head in our own United States. The vast wealth produced annually by the people is an inexhaustible source of plunder which never ceases day or night. This constant plundering is based on the bribery of accessible politicians. For it could not exist without the control of some of the people’s representatives in the National, State, County and Municipal governments. These corruptionists, as they are commonly called, exercise such a control that they finance electio?) expenses of candidates and make contributions to political bosses who hand out nominations. With these corruptionists, these public plunderers, these political bosses, politics is a business in which corruption and “pull” are capitalized at millions upon millions. But how can this corruption in all offices be cured? First of all. the truth, the whole truth, must be brought out and when that truth is revealed the American people will be confident that corruption will be very rare, in fact, practically blotted out of the channels of government. In the meantime, however, every level-headed citizen can do a public service by upholding the hands of the chief-magistrate of the United States, by setting his will and word against unsupported rumor and by facing every corruptionist with a calm refusal to be stamped into forgetting the rules of common decency to one’s fellow-man.

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LITERARY Hilda Artinger, Editor ’24. The following: are the speeches which were given at the Commencement Exercises held in the Pastime Theatre on June 5. CORRUPTION IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS Evelyn Miller CORRUPTION in public offices is not a new subject, but has forcibly been brought to the minds of the people through the recent Oil scandal, which is but an isolated case involving many officials of the government and revealing conditions of graft of which the people have little or perhaps no conception. Looking back over the previous administrations we find that corruption was especially noticeable during Grant’s administration, for the unsettled conditions of the country furnished a great opportunity for dishonesty. At this time, our state legislatures and municipal governments fell into the hands of “corrupt” rings. The notorious “Boss” Tweed robbed the city of New York of millions of dollars before he closed his career in the Ludlow Street jail in 1878. Secretary of War, Belknap, resigned in order to escape impeachment for sharing the graft from the dishonest management of army posts in the West. The president’s private secretary, Babcock, was implicated in frauds which robbed the government of its revenue tax in whiskey. Western stagecoach lines, in league with corrupt post-office officials, made false returns of the amount of business done along their routes, and secured large appropriations from congress for carrying the mails. Some of these “pet routes” cost the government thousands of dollars annually. Members of Congress even so far lost their sense of official propriety so as to accept large amounts of railroad stock as “a present” from men who wanted legislative favors for their roads. Corruption has been found to be present at all places, at all times, in kingdoms, empires and republics, more prevalent, however, in republics. The most important thing about the recent Scandal is the revelation of that heretofore intangible thing called by Theodore Roosevelt “invisible” government and by Woodrow Wilson, the “invisible” empire.

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If the people at large, the women voters, the millions of church members, really want morality and efficiency in official life; if they really wish peace instead of war; if they actually prefer the reign of good will and fair-dealing in national affairs, they can get them. How? By demanding them and by letting those servants to whom they have entrusted their public interests know constantly that the individual and collective consciences of the nation are not dormant but alert and ready for action. The present situation demands patriotic not partisan action. If we are to preserve democratic institutions and maintain the confidence of the people in the Republic, their disclosures are in vain if they do not stir us to a realization of the absolute necessity to rid our political parties and this government, OF tin people FOR the people and BY the people, of these sinister influences. TIIE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1924. J. W. Peters THE time is rapidly approaching for another Presidential election. Political bosses are forming the platform of their party and preparing their candidates for the field. Various would-be Presidents are addressing assemblies stating their ideas and urging citizens to vote for them. The Presidential election is of the utmost importance, for by it we choose our executive for Ihe coming four years. The election to be held this year is of more than ordinary importance, for the next President will go into office confronted with such problems whose solution will depend, to a certain extent, on our prosperity in the coming years. It is necessary that we improve conditions for the farmer if agriculture, our fundamental industry, is to be maintained. Also a relief from the severe tax burden will be required. The next President is likely to be confronted with a coal strike and let us hope the settlement of it will prove the first severe test of bis administration. The main issue on which the candidates shall fight is an issue between government as a means of securing the welfare of the public, or the government as a means of promoting private interest. Both political parties have been seriously injured by the Teapot Dome disclosures and both need a thorough cleaning. It is the duty