The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-06-29
The Curse of Party.

| va PeoPio AuIo politIcai parties, ID Ihe use uO
which it is put of filling offices which ought
to have no connection with party. What on
earth has the judgeship of the Supreme
Court of this State or of any other court
in the State, to do with politics7 Can it
possibly make any difference ir the capa-
city of judge, whether he be a Wing,
Democrat, Republican, or neither of them
The thing is totally unphilosophical in
the FIST place. There can be no doubt
that, in Republic, the people are the in
termediate source of power, God being its
primal and only actual source. But does
it follow that, because they are it's source,
they should be annoyed to death with q
constant call for the exercise of their pre-
rogative. A gentleman has the right to
choose the overseer of his plantation, but
it would be- exceedingly inconvenient to
him to have to choose a new one every
year. And suppose that the overseer be
ing once appointed should retain his posi-
ton for fifty years, the planter would be
none the less the source of his power all
the time. In the same way, if the people |
should make a man clerk of the court and |
he should remain in Office under that te-
nure for fifty years, the people would be
no less the source of his power all the time
than if they should re- elect him every year.
And this would be still the case, though the
people had not directly elected him at all,
provided he had been appointed by an
agent of theirs. say the judge or the gov
ernor.
1t does not then follow at all, because
the people have the right to choose officers,
that they should be constantly doing it.
On the contrary, it is to their interest
hat they should have as little of it to do as
possible consistently with the safety of
heir liberties, for all these elections are
expensive, annoying and Injurious. They
ause great exertions, great loss of time,
nd frequently considerable prostration of i
usiness. And this is, to great extent, in {
roportion to the number of Offices to be
lied. We saw by recent paragraph in
ne papers, that, at an election just held in t
ONE city of the West, the bar-room ele- 6
lent of the population, having organized .
lost carfully and extensively, had carried o
10 election by heavy majority up to IL =
CLOCK A. NJ The news being Immediately +
rculated through the city by means of n
lousands OF hand bills, grand rally was +
ade by the citizens; carriages few
'ound, stores were shut up; every corner
as secured for votes and by night the n
lr-room men were beaten. n
But the question recurs, why give the
'opie al! this trouble; why all this ex- IS
'nse' this stoppage of business, this par ta
ysm of alarm and excitement 2 When as
'lltical issues are to be decided, when the al
reign or domestic policy Of a country is of
De settled, men are willing to undergo ca
TINS In order to secure a result from
llch they expect great public and private ia
vantage. But why put such a burden 1t
'nem every year or two, merely to pro- ra
L themselves from a combination which
'uid folst set of rogues into office Or Ca
en- II the contest should be between two
cd men, would that choice for merely O.
n, office, be worth all this tur- to
Ill to the people. Sta
men look at the consequences of cleo
G these officers frequently. Every Judge me
p every clerkship, constableship, sEer- I
lily, public attorney ship, coronership. the
Enthusiastically, ETC., ETC., is but ora
'ther carcass thrown to the wolves. A tat
tinct herd Of aspirants starts for each a Fl
cry one of these has his retinue of fol- suit
ers who expect some of the scraps. ms,
ere is swapping off, selling, buying, in mai
changing. The temple of liberty is pro- U
ed by the money changers, or rather by fall.
ONCE brokers, and audacity has more .. -
nee than worth, for the prize. Worse 49,
> the army of spoliation, once organ 49,
> does not disband. 1t waits for the NEXT
'slon and, meantime, regularly drills ~,
orces. Thus new industry is set on w.. Wv
, and office huckstering becomes a ~
led avocation for large body Of men.
hing can be more hostile than this tn -
very principle of popular choice on ~ No. =
ch 1t claims to be based. 49,,
ow' all this Infamous profession of cora
politics would disappear if the prev all
which its members fatten, were not to
Wn to them. Put good men in judicial that