Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1876-09-05
MACHINE POLITICS.

| Inc peflOOlcAI emission Oh CRY OI
virtuous disopprobation, the pious-
seeming head shake; the grievous sigh
ings aud dolorous criticisms of the un-
appreciated and unsuccessful. these phe-
nomenal signs and sights and sounds are
now seen and hcard-es usually they
are seen and heard-after the primary
meetings aud conventions of parties have
been held and their work perfected. The
| "out" is a neglected statesman or an I'M
needed oracle; and having failed of
effec;ing his small purpose by such petty
tactics as be and his associates conld
bring TO bear, he settles down into the
nnamiable condition Of chronic grum-
| bier. and shoots the arrows Of his dis
appreciation upon rings. programmes
and machine politics. He forgets
that the only trouble is, really, that his
ring is too small. his programme too
narrow, and his machine 700 illy-devised
to make Roadway against what he has
| chosen to oppose himself. A hing. after
| all, is but another term for oombin-
alton. a programme is only Il more or less
! c!everly concocted plan OF action; and
machine" in political management is
only another name for smoothly work
ing organization. 1t is an axiom in mil
itary circles that regular armies are more
to be relied On than volunteers. Dis
cipline is the thing-discipiine and con-
cert of action. There is no question OF
of rights or morals in all this. God
favors the strongest battallions." il is
just as moral to so into a primary with
drilled forces as with an unorganized and
scattered array Of stragslers. /: is quite
as right. aud good deal more sensible.
to conduct primary or Il convention
upon a plan which combines the strong
and influential elements of party as to
undertake. the overthrow Of that com
bination by i,l-directcd and morgan
lied efforts. Unpopular msn are apt TO
ignore their own appropriately, and
while bitterly bemoanins the popular
preferences which leave them in private
life, charge their misfortunes to the
"corruptions" of the aforesaid rings,
programmes and machines. Now We
can conceive of rings that are not neces-
sarily corrupt; of programmes which are
not base conspirscies: of machines whose
workings are not toward the overthrow
of that which is just and wise and bene-
ticent. There is faction of fault
finders in New York. as in some other
places. These arrogate to themselves
all the virtues, and charge their Own in
acceptability as political candidates TO
such appliances as We have limited at.
1t is their practice to denounce these ap-
pliances in unmeasured terms. Success
full programmes are denominations; ma
chine politics is an a!rocity. Chief
among these laborious fault-fnders is
M. George William Curtis. Like too
many sentimental lists, he mistakes his |
own moral dyspepsia for virtue, and his
own impotent malignties for purity of !
character and lofty example. There is
an aggressive unmanliness in it that is !
not altogether admirable. There have
been some demonstrations of this fussy |
disposition of late, in the Empire State,
II has been laughed at and had its petty
weaknesses and small spitefulness ex-
posed. AS against its weak complaints
the Herald says:
There is good deal to be said in favor
of the machine in politics, It is not
high function, but the most useful Of
tic-rs are at times the humbest. The
general in command of the column. or
the drum major at the head Of the band.
is a much more imposing figure than the
and the quartermaster who
ride far in the rear in some unpretenaing
baggage wagon. 1t is oil very we'll while
along, or while the music is
playing. but when nature asserts itself
and valor needs food and repose the
and the quartermaster as
sumo a commanding importance. No
one ever hears n wise general or a
skilled urum MAJOR denOonce the ma
chine men of the army, because. per
haps, q quarternaster or commlssary
assumes n temporary Importance, and
puts on the airs of field marshal. In
politics if some faithful Custom House
weigher or storekeeper who has attend
ed the primaries or tramped about in the
rain and snow and watched the polls,
and warmed the hearts of visiting states
men by bis cheers; if some modest in
spector of customs little bit in wine
should pose for statesman no wise pol
lticlan will hold him up to scorn. In his
iay of usefulness the machine worker is
a necessary power in politics. The Re
publican saints make a mistake to turn
up their noses at him, for the machine
man works every day in the year-ouf
reform saints only in the harvest time,
when conventions are to be held and
offices are to be reaped.