The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-02-16
The Independent.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16. 1877.
Practical Politics.

enough to cherish, with reference to inn
proving on the system in vogue, but
what the country needs more than any
thing else, is that practical cast of poll
tics necessary to meet the exegencies of
the times. The statesman of the most
use in the country, is he who is able to
take things by the smooth handle.
He may have lofty ideals in politics
but with an appreciation of the evils
which beset all human institutions, he
is ever ready to help on that political
policy, which seems to combine the
greatest number of good elements, and
not so anxious to eliminate the evil from
that policy, as to see the most practical
policy adopted by the country. This
proposition does not involve surrender
of principle, for an ideal course that is
beyond the power of the masses to ap-
preciate, much less to attain, is out side
the range of present possibility, will not
therefore serve the present necessities
of the times, and the statesman is left
to adopt a measure containing as little
evil as possible, and consistent with
the present good order and happiness
of the masses for whom he legislates.
Realities must not be ignored for the
sake of fine spun theories. Herein is
the sphere of the practical politician.
He is the motive power in the political
machinery. He gives force and direc-
to political action, and is the chief tac-
tor in the system of government. In
the present political complications, it is
fortunate for the country that such men
as Edmunds. Conkling, Grant and 9TH
ers are in positions to adopt those meas
ures, which insure peace and all its at
tendent blessings. They are not the
men perhaps to formulate theories ofre-
form and progress, but they can take
things by the smooth handle, and doing
so, help the country through great
crisis, that there may be something left
hereafter upon which other statesmen
may make improvements. To preserve
that already attained, is sometimes as
noble as to clutch new acquisition.
The ordination of the Electoral Com
mission, and the work which it is per-
forming, is in the nature of practical
politics. A crisis was impending which
demanded the surrender of scruples, and
the adoption OF a plan to conserve the
present good. Let this crisis pass, and
then Morton and company may take
such steps as shall guard against like
complications in the future. Perhaps
if they had had their way this time,
the opportunity for future Improvement
on the constitutional basis of the coun-
try would have been forever lost. That
the crisis was a serious one cannot be
denied. The following from an eastern
journal, gives summing up which in
this connection may interest the reader:
We surrender our serious scruples
about the use of Judges of the Supreme
Court in this plan because we recognize
the exceptional and alarming difficulties
presented by the present case. We
have only an acting President of the Sen
ate, not a man chosen for his office by
the people, nor one, however deserving
of their confidence, who has carried it
by long and large services to the coun-
try. We have three States whose re-
turning boards are of suspected purity.
We have two States with double Gov
errors and Legislatures. We have two
sets of returns of electors in Oregon,
and perhaps elsewhere. We have an
angry democracy, sixteen years out of
office; a President suspected of too great
readiness to use military federal power
in coercing States. We have parti-
san Senate on one side, and a partisan
House on the other. We are just at
the end of virulent campaign, wherein
fraud, intimidation, bribery and corrup-
ton, have mutually. and with too many