898
WEST SHORE.
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Suturday, July 19, 1890.
ONE not blinded by party prejudice, or become
reckless through party zeal, can not fail to rec
ognize in the federal election bill that passed
the house and is now before the senate one that
contains the elements of more evil and political demor
alization than any measure that has been brought
before congress for years. The proposition for the gov
ernment to interfere in the local control of elections is
not only subversive of the theory upon which our
system of government rests, and utterly undemocratic,
but it is directly contrary to the tendency of public
thought and progress. It matters not what are the
evils this law, in theory, is intended to correct, for one
evil ought not to be removed by the institution of
another, a greater and a more lasting one. Thou
sands of good republicans who deprecate national
interference in local control of elections seem to think
that in this instance it is necessary, and are not aware
that their judgment is warped by party bias. They
fail to look into the future and see what will bo the
ultimate and permanent effect of the measure they
advocate. Theory and practice are not always closely
related, and laws should be studied, not for the theory
upon which they rest, but for their practical effect. It
is well known that " practical politics " have a firm
hold upon this country, that the managers of both the
great parties are not above doing anything that may
safely bo done to secure a party advantage. The dem
ocrats believe that a bill passed by a republican con
gress making a seat in congress dependent upon the
certificate of certain election supervisors appointed by
the dominant party will bo used by tho republicans to
secure added representatives for their party wrong
fully. Tho republicans believe that were tho situation
reversed the democrats would so use it; and every
sensiblo student of the history of party politics believes
that both would " work it for all it is worth." These,
then, would be the practical results of such a law:
The further corruption of politics by increasing the
power of party managers; the further loss of confi
dence in the value of the ballot; the tightening of the
hold of machine politics, already too firmly fastened
upon the people; more progress in the direction that
leads from a local, democratic form of government to
a centralized, political government by party managers;
and, what is the worst of all, the further sinking of
the federal judiciary in the mire of party politics.
This evil is not for the present, but will grow in power
and intensity year by year, the dominant party using
all the power thus placed in its hands to retain con
trol of the government. The popular tendency of the
times is in the opposite direction. The desire of the
people is to curtail the power of party managers, to
break the hold of machine politics, and to get the
government as near as possible to the people. This is
what the cry for the Australian ballot means; it is
what the movement everywhere for the freedom of
the voter from corrupting influences means; it is what
the growing belief that the president should not be
eligible to re-election means; it is what is meant by
the increasing demand that a position in the public
employ shall not depend upon political services. To
be sure, this bill is ostensibly for the purpose of puri
fying elections, and is supported chiefly with that end
in view, but it is masquerading in stolen clothing, and
any one who has a thought above party and tempo
rary party advantage can see the long snout and sharp
claws of the wolf projecting beneath the wool. No
party can afford to make itself responsible for fasten
ing this evil upon the political system of the country.
For the next fiscal year the pension list will exceed
$150,000,000, and yet demagogues in congress and pen
sion grabbers out of it, are urging further legislation.
The " old soldier " cry has become more demagogical
than the " honest farmer " or " poor workingman " ever
was, and the republican party, by making it a war
cry solely for the sake of votes, is digging its political
grave. Uncle Sam should close the treasury lid with
a bang, and say " No 1 " to those self-created mendi
cants in a tone so decided that they will know that
both he, and all self-respecting old soldiers as well,
have become thoroughly ashamed of them.
The president has signed the silver bill, and now
all those who expect to have a load of silver dollars
dumped into their back yards ought to be happy.
Cuba for $200,000,000 would come higher than a
New York thermometer at midday.