The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-06-08
Sound talk.


These gentlemen consider politics
as an ingenious contrivnncc for the dis
tributon Of spoils, simpIiicd by the rec
ignition Of Il few bosses who are main
" to control the division and determine
who shall he candidates for all offices,
State, National and Municipal. The |
bosses are 10 fix up the states, the
great stupid people are to 90 through
the farce Of ratitying SAID states at the
polls, al! djsscnlcrs are to be whipped
into submission or driven out Of the
party, and the loaycs and fishes are toI
be assigned as the sclrcous,itutcd ST.
traps shall determine. When Prcsi-
dent Garfield, the other day, in his
nomination Of man to Il CoIcctOr,hlp
Of the port Of New York, seemed to
have forgotten the machine notion Of
politics, or, if not forgetting it, showed
Il disposition to disregard it and defy it,
the Indignation Of Coukijng and his CO.
Iadutants was sincere and vehement.
The people Of the country, who, all
along, have had an idea that Govern
mcnts, State, National and Municipal,
were arrangements for the public bust
no,. and the public welfare, and that
parties were organized institutions for
the Application Of certain principles
through the agency Of those who repre-
scented them, 10 the management Of pub
lie affairs, were no little surprised at
/ the terrible uproar and flaming resent.
mcur excited by the Presidents exercise
Of II simple Constitutional right They
nccdod this outbreak to show them
more clearly how dccp-scatcd the ma
chine idea Of politics is in the bosom Of
a certain elias. Of arrogant and domi-
nceriug politicians, and how thoroughly
S they and their chief magistrates are
, identified in the controversy which h0'
80 gIorou,Iy terminated. The lesson
has not been lost ON Democrats any
more than on Republicans, Bad adj
f vi.cs in the Democratic party have
+ counscIcd that in all disturbances Of
f the kind wc have just witnessed, the on.
" thing for Democrats to do Is t.
split up the rival party without any re
gard to the right or wrong Of the mat
p ter in dispute That is Il machine idea.
The wise and decent thing for Democrat,
is TO do what they conceive to be right
: and 50 thereby strengthen themsclyc,
, with the people. That is the on y way
in which the Democratic party can ST.
cure public confidence. 1t is the only
course for any party to pursue. 1t j,
: gratifying to say that in this collision
between the President and the expo
ucuts of the machine idea the Demo
Gratis have behaved withadmirabIe sense
and honesty. The Democratic press Of
; the country, with lew exceptions, ha,
- honoyably stood by the President in bis
T. exercise Of his constitutional prcroga,
tiycs, and Judge Robertson, in his Al.
bany speech, gracefully aIIudes to the
fact. This alone is an encouraging
sign Of soundcr ideas in regard 10 the
relation AT politics to the general inter
csts, and makes Us sympathsc with the
cheering hope expressed by Judge j..
that We are to have less Of the machine
hereafter, and p"rcr notions concerning
the entire civil service Of the country.
Is d d ," When We look
over the vast field Of American enter
prise and energy aud see what the pco-
! pie have done with their clear heads
and stout arms what grand spectacle
of triumphant industry they have pre-
3cntcd in agriculture, commerce, mi
ming, manufactures, and tranSporta-
ton; what cities, what towns, what
prosperous commOnWcaIths, what CON
vcnirncrs, what comforts, what arts,
what inventions, what institutions of
learning, charity and utility; what
multiplied sources OF pleasure and hap
pncss and profit, and then turn to the
political conceptions Of machine politi-
clans in reference to the administration
Of public affairs of such people, the con
trast between the grandeur Of the one
and the mcanncs., lttIcncss and vulgar,
. ity Of the other is SO astounding as to
boggar speech IN attempting htly to
characterize it. Thank God there is
beginning to be II revolt along the whole
line amongst Democrats and Republic
cans against this sordid and dcbasing
and destructive theory Of politics that
tnakcs it only Il fight for spells, aud puts
both people and their confidential
agents ut the mercy Of men who make II
business of politics the ring-mastcrs
and wirc-puIIcrs and log-roIIcrs and
whppcrS-in the machine bosses and
their supple tools. There is ray of
light on the horizon at Washington,
and it gives hopes and gladncss to the
uttcrmost confines Of the Republic.