The New York herald., 1877-07-11
Elsetsen Machinery.

dollars III Wnat may De calico leSltlluuto
election expenses. This is the cost OF
"the machine" for one election in this
city alone. To raise this money the
Times confesses that the ofice-holders and
the office-seekers are regularly assessed.
Now the opponents of the Presidents
policy say that, practically, this machinery
is necessary to ''bring out the voters" and
that to break it down is to ruin the
party. Our reply is that the. Presi-
dent does not wish to break up
the political machinery. All that he de-
mands is that it shall not be controlled,
managed and supported by federal office
holders. That is quite a different thing.
The President has always been a strict party
man. If he shows any weakness now in
dealing with public questions it arises en-
tirely out Of q desire to maintain the re-
publican organization and supremacy. But
while he sees clearly that each party will
have such an organization and machinery
as the Times describes he sees also that
to suffer the offce-holders to manage and
support the machinery of one side is not
only unfair, but is dangerous to the country,
because it imports sense OF injustice and
consequent bitterness into our political
struggles, and it degrades them into mere
squabbles and conspiracies for official bread
and butter and plunder. What is required
is that this machinery shall be managed and
supported by the people. If they have not
sufficient attachment to their party to do
that it is sign that the party is weak; that
it has no longer the confidence and
support of the voters; and in that
case it ought to perish. But the in
reference of the ofiice-holders comes in
in such case, and in an entirely illegiti-
mate manner gives the decaying party fac
titious strength and support, not in the
interest of the country, but for the personal
benefit of the army Of ofice-holders-t tho
bread and butter brigade, and these, ami
mated by low and selfish motives, make the
strife unscrupulous and, as we saw in the
last canvass, unconstitutional and revolu-
tionary.
Theresis no obje,tion to party machinery
so long as the machinists do not violate the
laws. But there are very grave objections
to federal office-holders misusing the influ-
ence and emoluments of their places
to Systematically bolster up their party, and
by taking possession Of 'the machinery"
running the ship, making nominations,
framing platforms and leaving their voters to
be mere tools to register the decisions of
close corporation of office-holders. 1t would
be an excellent thing if we could have
constitutional amendment making every
federal ofice-holder er oticio citizen of the
District of Columbia, and thus depriving
him even of his vote while he held Office.
During the Kansas debates Southern Sen
ator rose in his place and remarked that he
wished to remove to Kansas; that he desired
to take with him his family, but that he was
greatly distressed because, according to the
republican doctrine, he could not take with
him his dear old nanny" the negro
woman who had nursed him when he was
babe, who had nursed his children,
and to whom he was most fondly at
tached. "Old Ben Wade" who had keen
nose for nonsense, interrupted the Senator
at this point with the remark that he could
Just as well take his old "mammy" to
Kansas there was nothing to hinder
him; 'sonly the gentleman cannot sell
her when he gets her there" said Wade,
amid roars of laughter. We recon-
mend this story to the machine" poll
ticians. The President is too good party
man to wish to break up the machinery But
he does not want his own party-whicn he
still apparently believes to have the breath
- l. III cv,1
supported by the office-holders and out of
the money they draw from the taxpayers
and the machine politicians may rs well
make up their minds that in this matter the
President has the people on his side.
The President wrote, not that he thought
party machinery" ought to be abolished,
but that ''no officer should be required or
permitted to take part in the management
of political organizations, canvasses, con-
ventions or election campaigns" He added
that mo assessment for political purposes
on officers or subordinates should be
allowed" The plain meaning of all this is
that in his opinion the oflicc-holders cannot
properly take the lead or initiative in meas
ures for determining whether the people are
pleased with the administration Of the pub
lie business or not. Surely nothing can be
more self-evidently just than this. The
government is in the main only vast busi-
ness establishment intrusted to the charge
of certain officers. Once in two or four
years the partners in this business
establishment come together to de-
clare by their votes whether it has
been well managed by the men they have
put in charge, and whether they shall con-
tinue them or put in another set. But now
come the clerks and assume to take con-
spicuous part in this discussion. They
step forward to argue their own case, to tell
| the mariners Whnt they ouoht to do and ought