New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-16
THOSE PARTY MACHINES"

speaking "a LILO Cu1AOuo law SAA1s' S~>
clerk of district court should receive
flour or five times the compensation al
lowed to the Judges" the New Orleans
Times takes the view that political parti
sans should not be allowed to compromise
and retain for each that patronage which
they at present possess; we may say, OF as
SCISSORS and tax collectors on the one
hand, and sheriffs, clerks and Administra'
tors on the other. We claim to possess
as much public spirit as others, while We
do not pretend to be less tenacious OF
party advantage than our opponents.
We are, then, reformers in part on prin-
ciple, and very greatly because the pat
ronage of the anti-Republicans is greatly
in excess of that welded by the Republi-
cans. The Times referring still to the
salaries of the clerks and similar officers
states the following facts:
The fact is that the enormous pe1quisites
of these offices have given very unpleas-
ant character to our politics, converting
them into great party machines, and infusing
| into the struggle tor their possession q tone
peculiarly Objectionable and harmful Apart
from all Considerations of the peoples right
to have their business conducted in the
most economical manner possible, it is to
| be borne in mind that the abolition of these
glittering temptations to party strife and
| political scheming would at once restore
| our elections to q healthy and wholesome
| condition, and eradicate from our election
history for the future those chapters which
in the past have given us such ample cause
of shame.
In illustration We may cite the effect of
Democratic nomination for Administra-
tor of Improvements, sheriff, clerkship,
or other lucrative Office. Each officer has
in expectancy the appointment Of hun
dred or more employees. As the nomina-
ton is equivalent to an election, the NOM
inee finds instantly credit for any expen-
ditures which may be necessary to bring
out the voters in the one case, or repel
them in the other. The nominee may be
neither rich nor competent to perform
personally the duties Of the office for
which he has been nominated. At once
there are persons who, for the advantage
of bestowing the salaries, or handling the
finances of the expected Office, win furnish
official security and advance the funds
necessary for an active campaign. For
every clerkship at the disposal of the
nominee he may have a hundred expect
ants. These expectants organize the
clubs, prepare the political transparencies |
and notices, and drill and conduct the |
political professions.
If there be twenty thousand young |
men in this city, large proportion of
them may be influenced by friendship for
those of their number who are expectants
Of Office. The great reduction Of salaries
in ordinary business renders the position
Of public employe, even at the depre-
ciated medium Of payment, desirable.
This is the great party machine whose
engine-room is the city, and whose
power of excitement is conveyed to every
parish in the State.
1t is, therefore, in our opinion, the true
policy of the Republican party to defy
the Democracy to cut down salaries. city
md State. Our readers may perhaps
nave seen the boys "cutting jackets" as
t is called. Each lad is armed with
Keen rod, with which he strikes his an
agonist. The touc hes are at first COM
,aratively light, yet as each warns with
he sting upon some tender point, he re-
aliates with force compounded Of
niger and pain. Let the two parties
tand up, each provided with scourge of
eform. They will touch each other at
rst upon some insignificant elerkship or
uperfluous messenger. As tie contest
ontinues they will warm with indignation
S city Administrator is slashed off, or a
tate assessor smitten away. Should the
oint be reached when all thought of per-
onal danger was lost in the fury Of casti-
ating an enemy, the public may expect
D see the jackets Of patronage so effectu-
lily riddled and her combatants so Grip
led that their powers of popular annoy
nee will be injur ed, if not annihilated.
Recurring to the difficulty of COM
handing the vote Of the colored Repub-
cans in the front of an armed and des-
crate Democratic force, we are of opinion
,at the Republicans should assent to any
xtent of reform which will remove the
lotives and the power of the Democracy
, capture all the Offices in the State, city
nd parishes by storm and by force of
rms. If the Democracy should grant
erfect amnesty of suffrage the colored
lajority would come to the polls to main
in their franchises. This undoubted
laiority would then maintain the princi-
les of the Republican party. We COM
lend these views to the Republicans, and
specially to the colored Republican men,
ers of the Legislature. Let their watch
ord be no compromise of patronage, bat
brave challenge to the Democracy to pay
n official incumbent fair compensa-
on for his services and require him to
erform these services himself. It was
bernetny or Stone or some other rough
shler of medicine who prescribed for a
lethoric patient shear meat exclusively,
nd catch it yourself" Let men hold
flee on the same principle.
FINAL ACQUIEsCENCE.
The REPUBLICAN took the liberty to re-
lark the other day that the recent action