The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-06-04
Personal Power as an Oraaniz,r.

When the principles which should govern
in the selection Of candidates are fully recoe
nized and correctly applied, there is still dan
ger that an unwise choice will be made by de
1eatlng the popular preference through tn,
agency of interested combinations, It is al
most universally true that men who wan
office are willing to work harder to advance
their personal aims than disinterested person
are TO promote the public good. Unless tn
popular preference is very strong and unmis
takably expressed, the matter falls almost IN
tirely into the hands of interested politician,
who parcel out the spoils of office according tt
their own good pleasure without consulting
anybody. The only choice which the people
have in these cases is to vote the regular tick.
10 go over to the enemy, or what produces
; out the same result, not vote at all. Tn
either case it may be merely a choice of evils
While the power of the electors to repudiate
the nominees generally prevents the nomina-
uon OF candidates who are positively obnox-
lous, 1t does not Danish incompetence. much
less can 1t secure merit of the highest order.
Indeed, it is rather favorable to mediocritv
than otherwise as matters actually staud. For
any man of ability and positiveness is very
llkely to make himself too obnoxious in GER
tam quarters to run well. 1t has passed into
an axiom that no political party can with pru.
deIce put forward its recognized leader as a
candidate for the presidency, and though in
practice men less prominent often show emil
neDt capacity for the position, yet the chances
are against this.
Much thought has been expended in irving
to find remedy for these evils, but this rene
dy has been generally sought IN the invention
OF some kind of machinery But if we mis-
take not the evil does not come mainly from
defects in the machinery of politics and can
not therefore be removed by any improve
menus In tbs respect Experience indeed
SHOWS that in every department of human eff
Tort, machinery is supplanting direct personal
exertion and this will without doubt continne
10 be the case. But however much NAV be
accomplished by mechanism, there will ALWAYS
be found a rcsiduum of work to be deae for
which machinery will hot answer bacsnse foo
bindly infexibe. Whenever that progress
lively recedng point is reached where discrim.
ination and judgment must be exercised
there machinery is poweriess, and another. a
personal agency, capable of flexible dis
cretion, must be called into activity. So MANY
and SO varied are the modes in which politicaI
trckery works, that it will clude any machin-
cry that can be invented. It is the result of
no particular system but rather of want of
system. 1t is caused by the difficulty of Sc
curing concerted action in a numerous consti-
taehcy' combined with the facility of securing
III among the comparatively few interested
parties. The interested combinations ofno,
lticians are brought about by personal inoepn-
lly ana enterprise, and it is only by cores
pondlng agencies that they can be tbwarted
There must be personal power to orc.nizo
against as well as for them. TO cope with M
litical intrigue the people must have leaders
with sagacity, conscience, and activity, with
no axes to grind but those of the public.
10 bring this about class Ofmen who now
stand back with folded hands while others
have all the drudgery of politics to attend to,
dignity TO interest themselves ageressiyeIy in
inc work. Inspired with the thought of be-
ing useful when they have no personal ends
10 gain, let them take off their gloves and on
ter INTO the work with enthusiasm IF ;s
every mans business to interest bimselfin Tho
selection ofpublic officials and he is wantipc
In his duty as citizen who fails to exert
himself to get the fittest man for every office
Much OF this work must of course be dis, ,sta-
ul 10 persons of refined sensibilities. and
VIII doubtless at first subject those engaged
!. II 70 the suspicion of having interested mo-
.N.'' out somebody must do the work at anv
s,o 's ''e standard of official capacity is to be
~, lo 's 1t certainly needs to be, and those
20" DeSs anora to undertake the task who can
he ' conscionnn ,a difficulties and deracton by
hon ,,,a,, Jus, , OF right purpose which
'ney may wen nope time viii vindcate