The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-11-18

Il pahlis virius & Is vitsl prinelpls 81
republicaa goveEnnsat ~ e. - ash : Ny
that nothing can seve -, We ere not only
without n bat - sss noI ashaned II hang
without IL; and - ar mon regarding purity
in once and high moral charsctaf in publIo
man with favor, suoh attEibu>u are heptsd and
jostled into 10 bywsys, md Il sssms pEae-
tically to have become : party rule-the worse
the man the bsttee - sandidats. Our law
makers are men more acquainted with crime
than with criminal codes, who understand The
uses Of burglars implemsnn better than
they do he principles II social or political
science, and whose familiarity With nnance has
mainly been exhibited BY The sffn with which
they have robbed al who trusted them, and
finally cheated Justice. Crime b quali1ca-
ton for position In the party sense. To have
deAsd TIE law for : Lifetime, to have outraged
Whatever sense Of decency or modesty Tie
community may possess, b apparently hsld' b
be reason why man should be exalted and
honored. why he should be made ono Of the
oonservaton Of public propristy, Why =
should be appointed an administrator Of the
law. II has been ingeniously argued that no
class Of persons have such clear ideas Of
honesty ~ the thieves, since their pursuit leads
them to ponder the subject - honest mon
hardly ever do; and We might safely suppose
that parties in tho choice Of candidates acted
on . theory like this, and assumed that tho best
men to make and enforce laws were those
whose lives and general habits had led thsm 10
knowledge Of al the points whore law was
weakest ana taught how Il might most readily
and safely be broken. ~
And this y direct consequence Of tho
party convention system, by which the people,
at the dictation OF dossn or twenty men, arc
never permitted 70 vote for positive good, but
must at best always choose between two evils.
Candidates study the convention and load Il q
gamblers do their dice. II becomes, without
pretence at disguise, game Of chicanery and
false dealing. Swindling b the very essence
Of the contest, and he who il least like an
honest man has the bsst chance to win. He
who win most lavishly promise, without regard
to whether his promise can be kept; who Is
least scrupulous and most impudent; but above
all, he who win buy bis nomination out and
out with money down y the delegates il the
man who Is most sure TO be- set up for the sui.
frages of thisor that great section Of the people
That class Of men who arc always in Office or
always candidates-who are deputy sherifs in
one year, water commissioners in another, and
coroners, aldermen or Assemblymen at odd
times know the rating scale for nomination
to any political body, and can tell to dollar
what the candidate must pay; and the candL
date, thus enlightened, knows beforehand what
he must steal In Office to "get evsn." This d
the way things are regarded at ths fountain
head Of political power. Delegates enter the
convention to sell their votes, and afty dollars
one way o. the other will determine whether
man i to 60 To the State Legislature who ought
to 60 to the Snte Prison, or whether the place
shall be filed BY ono guilty 20 III, perhaps, d
nothing worse than asserting to This system.
II The delegate does not bargain for my DOL
lan he bargains for place in the Custom
House or some municipal department, the prin-
cipls being always the sams-that his vote
goes for consideration. This il the party
system, and this, ever so lightly considered,
will not only account for our having the least
at men put up for eli Offices, but II renders it
rather puzzle-if it ever hsppens-that an
honest man, . man with any selfrespecs,
should find himself candidate save on those
occasions when popular uprising puts down
tho parties.
To . greater or less extent the moral sense
Of the people becomes blunted - this goes on,
and the longer the system continues the less
hopeful seems any proposal for eradicating IL.
From time to time there is certain reaction,
and parties 90 ont Of power on this issue but,
indeed, there i 80 little to choose between
parties that no permanently good change can
be had by that means Reform parties are
common delusIon They start up every other
year with abundant promises, and in their
second campaign they have not only fallen
into the ways Of the party they put to rout, but
one can even ind the names Of al the old
political swindlers thickly scattered on their
lists for committees and conventions. Any
remedy, TO be effective, must 60 deeper. II
must be one that shall touch the Organize
ton Of elections and render IL impossi-
Bile. for coteries Of roguss 70 stand forward
and arrogats 70 themselves prsrogativs that
belongs 10 The people. Healthy public opinion
On this subject may do great deal Much Of
the evil has grown up sincs The country became
% large that party managers were, 70 great
degree, ont Of tho view Of ths people and fsls
no personal responsibility In tho choice Of
candidates; felt thst thsy had The liberty 70
pursue thsfr Owl sdvsalaf e Without regard 70
public welfare In sSscting . change IN this
regard more win be done than In any other
way, and tho only agent that the people can
rely upon TO do Il must be an honest press
ono ready and fearless % speak the truth and
mot shackisd or committed BY party ailliations;