New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-26
Machine Politics.

The New York Standard discusses recent
political events in New Orleans under the
caption of Machine Politics." and closes
thus:
What we learn from these difficulties IN
New Orleans is, the utter folly OF ever
hoping to make sound political party out
of q machine. All the scandal that has at
tached to Republication in New York and
Pennsylvania must be attributed to ma.
chine politics In other years we had the
Seward machine and the anti-Seward ma
chine Now we have one machine which
is called administration, and another which
is called anti administration. There Is more
bitterness between than we even see be-
tween the two great parties, and the whole
State is agitated with quarrel which will
not add ten votes to the party when the
electlo1i comes; quarrel in which no prin-
ciple is involved, and the result of which
can only be the temporary success or Owe
throw Of some Republican leaders.
Yet those who look at the history OF the
Republican party will see that it never
made a. better canvass than in those Presi-
Dental campaigns when the patronage OF
the national government was against 1T.
In 1856 it supported Fremont against the
patronage of Pierce. In 1860 it elected
Lincoln against the patronage of Blu
chanan. In 1868 it elected Grant in spite OF
the bitter hostility of johnson. In these
three campaigns the party was united,
resolute enthusiastic. There was no pur-
pose in it's councils but to defeat the enemy.
In fact the only campaign in which the Re-
publican party was in jeopardy from in
ternal dissensiOn and mutiny was IN 1901,
when Mr.. Lincoln, himself President, and
the patronage OF bis government enor-
mousiy increased by the condition of war,
was in danger of defeat from the Cleveland
CONVENTION, which nominated General FIRE.
mont and General Cochrane.
Patronage is apt to demoralize a party.
Patronage can never make Republicans into
a machine. We see. how Tammany can
make a machine in New York which does
its bidding, and records the will of Mr..
Sweeny and Mr.. Hall as accurately as the
sun dial records the progress of the sun.
But Tammany has q docile,- uneducated
mass behind it, mainly foreign to our soil,
and under the discipline of a church which
has always smiled upon the successes of the
Tammany leaders. The Republicans are a
thinking people. They. like discussion.
They Will have their own way. Very few
of them need office or care for it. Repub
fcanism to these means certain principles.
Without the principles the party is OF far
less consequence than the Wings and Tories
under William Ill. Accordingly we see all
the new questions welcomed into the Re
publican party, and in time adjusted by
them Accordingly we hear every election
that the party is about to divide, because of
some difference in tariffs and taxations.
Furthermore-and this is the misery Of
it-these machine experiments only embar-
Tass the administration. They invite criti-
cism upon it, and give it's enemies occasion
for mockery and scorn. If General Grant
is to be reelected. it will be by the honest,
laboring, God-fearing people. If they do
not feel that he deserves the honor, twenty
thousand machines can not elect him. Ii
they do have this conviction, as we pro-
foundly believe, he will be elected, even if
twenty thousand machines are against him.
In the meantime, let us take warning by
Louisiana, and keep away from the ma
chimes. The conventions of the party are
for counsel, not combat. Let us counsel to-
gether like brethren, and reserve our bitter
ness and wrath until the time comes for bat
tie with the enemy.