Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-05-16
$HocaI Self Government.

On Evils 10 Leca GovecunsDi" st joins
Hcpkin's University, 10 Baltimore, last night,
bis sutj.ct vas Remedies in The Hands otthe
Individual Clt;zau." For the evils 10 which
p.teplion has been cied there have, he said,
been certain remedies suggested Whicl you'd
be seftctu1l. OGe of these has been making
city officers executive. appolntces at
other cumulative system ct VolDg, 'Whlle
others again have advocated the restriction OF
The suffrage to taxpayers and property q1llhla-
ton for officers Other suggestions have been
IS to uoity 10 the executive, longer terms CT CT
flee, ard 90 enlarg, N cot Of votlog disricts.-
Add vet even il these were adopted frauds
would sill, exist, and insclrnt officials would
continue 10 ask. "What arc you going to do
about !" \ good ohGr,er alonc caunot make
q g0oi city government. SOdom AID G1mor-
rsh very probably had good government, hos
| III ais for the cura OF dis Eases aud eGkI0s
| fund, which might lead people to believe that
they Gere thus paying their debts, aud even q
thegorsc5 did Dot prevent the Hebrew natlou
from choosing kiug. Strict Iinltaloos, Dow
ever. 90 tho poTcT 70 create debts aud levy
taxes ore indispensable, and 10 order to tfrci
cure Ct the evils complained ii the p2ono must
-ubmit 10 heroic remedies. Much OF the oils
| EeuWy met Win COUNTS IIOul ludI pOoy
| of voters who haze 10 particular ties 5lndlpg
them 10 tho Gig aud ltat!og them TO be
lievu that good government is n,css5ary.-
| Aud yet all the evil clDuot be attributed to
these people. Cities, both at hl m? aad abroad,
ssrGl lately 10 haVD aodlJated resSJn 10 the
creation OF debts. But the mischief which re-
suls from the character Of the voters IS also
| aggravated by the caucus system, which Is
the most rem arkable epgine II despuilsm ever
| fJund 10 free oCuairy, snd Is q peculiar
production, which, like thu wooden nui
meg, can never be fully appreciated until
it has been thoroughly tried. ~ import
ant consid iion 10 local tleaiors IS the
character OF the men selected Tor oHiafIs, and
this the ciucu7 completely destroys. The great
thing sought tor is party SUCCESS, nnd the maa
who Is considered 10 be the bsst man - gencl'
ally good natured individual, who has 40
serious thought as to what will bentf. the city.
The system ress on tho understanding that
on ac:rlain day oartaio men will convene and
select candidate for whom all shall afterwards
vote. TIE small minority thus rules the great
ma j1Iity. aud although it may be argued that
The nainity by not attending are bouod by the
result, still this gives 90 security 10 the rights
CT those who are entitled 10 Participate. Ii Is
on implication Of law that those not voting at
an election must accent The result, but the eau
Gus is tribunal unknown 10 law, ard the result
reached has ALWAYS been previously arranged by
tho mausecfs. Look to the SURROUNDINGS CT
clucuscs. a missionary meeting or one for the
budding o! o schcolhouso is always held IN C
reputable place. But tho caucus generally meets
ia SILICON. The moral atmosphere there Is as
bad as the material, and the impression uatur-
ely eoas out that tho party management Is
-disrcputabe. Even il good AID intelligent
meu Insist on their ii shts 1t Is 10 use, cs the
single voles which there clet cannot ati:cs the
result Ia all cities they arc plenty OF meD
whose votes can easily b. secured by psyirg
them, and they are always more manageable
than any other class. Uoder the system
tho independent voter is practically di6lra1-
chiScd a0d the caucus becomes ContTiVaIcC
by which the worst elements 10 the parry are
made use Of to control il. Tho law cannot
abolish the evils OF clucuses. tho reform must
como from the voluntary action Of voters,
1t has long been az axiom 10 politics that q
sucCa ssiul man must let politics alone. The tlct
Ct lawyers, merchants, builders and manutao
lurers kecpiog away from politics might not be
fatal if there wtrJ families, the members OF
| which devoted themselves to politics irom pa
tIiotc motives. instead OF cuuVailog them
merely FIR tho sake of prof.. 10 evtry century
mantaiu their hbrlcs with sword 10 hnnd,
ard DOW that Amcric. has gained her freedom
she has quietly settled down in repasc. forget
ting that vigilarc. is still tho plice Il lreo 10.
stitutions. Business men ought to remember
that their duty is 10 take an active part 10 poll
Tics, Instead of busying thomseIre5 Hllh max
Jog money ard letting cffc ais waste i. They
NUS begin 10 regard attention TO cl!y matters
as part not ouly OF their business, but also as
their duty, and to lock. as others do, alter the
caucuses, which would thea assume a moro
decent appearance. 60 co more rcspf c'ablc
places, and take off the habments q bar
barsm.
How TIE $40 CERTIFICATES P.lY.-The
bank, arc making good thing out tf the new
SO refuudiug certificates. The sub treasury
yesterday issued SIS 600 Of the certificates, and
it was noticeable that the larger part were
takcu by back clelk, and not by the hsriy
sons Of toll for whose immediate benefit the
certificates were originally put forth. The ostcn
sihc idea ct that time beiog that they would
provide an investment sure ard certain for
small savisgs. Tie expectation has not been
rruliz.d to any considerable eXteut, for the rea
sou that, with the small Investor. there is too
rauch machinery about the business. parlicu
lsrly when the sid ioves.or would like to con-
Vert them into cash or something else.
But with the banks and Other large Investors
it is not so. The banks havs been sendl0g
eight or ten clerks day to tho sub treasury 10
buy the certificates, and q ccrian insurance
agent was epabled TO send eigh,eeo young men
90 certain day fir the same ptr:oD. All of
this led q reporter yesttr1ay to lock trourd
AID ak questions and ser what it meant. 1t
appears that tho ms xiuum amount that any
ono person Gao tsko Is 300 worlh-thAt is. len
certificates. Henoo to get larger amount it
becomes necessary for principal to send
around several euenaots, each orc of whom
gets 500 wcr.h. Ten persons in this way
would get 100 certificates. CT $1,000 Wortb.-
| The accrued interest since the lst Of April
ansuals to 50 r. which makes the cost on 100
certificates 81. 0O2 a. Now the express charges
Cd package cf,10O, certificates to WASHINGTON
is Just 81 co. 10 Washington they arc readily
conyertibls, 10 case the sender ls back, but
/ e. r.