Weekly Trinity journal., 1873-11-15
THE FUTURE OF POLITICS.

numbered, and that in the national elec-
tion of 1876, the Democratic party will
be quietly pushed from the lists. the Re
publican ignominiously defeated, while
ney party, made up of the best elements
of both the old ones, will enter upon an
indefinite lease of power. The founda.
ton for this belief rests in the partial sue
cesses that the Independent and farmers
parties have achieved in the Fall cleo
tions this year, coupled with partial
Democratic successes in some States and
Republican losses in others. These pre-
dictions, however, come generally from
those who bear the same relation to poli-
tics that Little Jack H.orners, does TO
the Nursery Rhyme having put in a
thumb and pulled out a plum,' they
hncy themselves and the mushroom par
ties they have assisted in organizing to
be perfectly irvincible.
The Republican party has record not
easily assailed and overthrown when
subjected to the scrutiny of national
contest. That record differs from the
record of the Democratic party in the
fact that it deals with the issues of the
living present instead of the dead past
1t is one which has appealed successfully
to the heart Of the nation on four success
i've occasions, and it is a burlesaue of
common sense to think that it can be so
easily overthrown. That there are cor
ruptions and abuses to some extent in its
administration of governmental af-
fairs, we are not disposed to deny-but
let us ask, would not corruption and abu-
Ses exist in the same manner, and to an
equal or greater extent under the regime
of any party? Politicians of all parties
are corrupt. The business of politics has
Of itself demoralizing tendency. But
in the Republican party are better ele-
nents from which TO select than in either
the Democratic party, or in any new or
ganization which may be warmed into
temporary life through some clashing of
local interests. The Republican party
has been quick to condemn official dishon-
esty in its own ranks, and to ostracise
those by whom it was practiced This is
more than could ever be said Of the party
to which it is successor. And this is un-
derstood by the people. With the inde-
pendent movements organized in the diff
ferent States, there is but little in COM
mon. In each State they propose to rem
edy different grievance. At the East all
classes of the Independents condemn the
5ack-pay grab. Here that party is push
ing forward the worst kind of a Salary
Grabber as its candidate for United
States Senator, and even goes so far as
to speak of him as a possible candidate
for the Presidency. Unfortunately how
ever, for those who are upholding the In
dependent movements because they real
ly believe that through their agency great
reforms will be accomplished, they are
being made the dupes of professional pol
ticians who are lavish in promises and
fertile in schemes to work to the benefit
of-themselves. When abuses exist, as
they undoubtedly do exist at the East as
well as in this State, the remedy for them
lies with the people. 1t can be worked
out in strong, established, national par
ty better than in new one, which is sure
in little time, to fall under the control
of politicians as fully as the old parties.
For however pure the motives by which
men are actuated when uniting together
for political purposes, bad and unworthy
men will unite with them, and unless
closely watched, obtain control of the
working machinery of the organization,
and use it to the furtherance of selfish |
ends. In new party all recruits are
gladly accepted and their motives are
unquestioned. And all the old, played
out party hacks Of the other parties HE
to fresh fields and pastures new," to
be received with open arms.
We have said that the remedy for all
abuses of power lies with the people, e.-I
They can, if they will, control the organ
ization and policy of any party, new or
old. But if they permit the organization
to be given over to the control of selfish !
politicians, they have no right to grumble
If the affairs of government are not con-
Quoted exactly as they could wish. If
corruption creeps into any party it can,
through the action of the party's voters,
be speedily eliminated. New movements
protesting reform are always engineered
by demagogues, or newspapers which find
it profitable to advocate anything which
for the time being pays. One trial is
generally sufficient to open the eyes of
the people to the folly of trusting in the
professed reformers, and then political
matters settle back in the old groove.
So it will be in the Presidential cam
paign of 1876. All that has been accom-
plished by the Independents in their
vaunted triumphs, has been to encour-
age the Democratic party to continue a
useless existence. 1t has succeeded in
having Democrats elected in places where
they had been ostracized for the past fif-
teen or twenty years, and the party now
thinks it has new lease of life. 1t has
some elements in it thatswill never con-
sent to surrender its existence the ex-
perience of last year should have taught
us that, Whatever the evils of Repub-
lican Iule may have been, the people will
not willingly consent to change it for
Democratic, and it will not be done un-
less through the agency of third party,
which will draw off more Republican
than Democratic votes. The Independ-
ent party is neither more nor less than II