Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-04

>S anu Piotest against THESE methods,
but If he wishes to effect anything he
must employ them and if he refuses to
employ them he is excluded from politics.
A consequence of this is that practical
men, who GEEK tangible results, become
impatient of the reformer's attitude, and
throwing aside scrnples, plunge into poll.
tics after the old fashion, and so get what
they want. And it is evident that this
will continue to be the case until the force
OF public opinion has reached pitch suf.
ticient to melt away the prevailing indiffer.
ence. Nothing is OF less use than the de-
CARNATIONS against existing political meth.
ods by those who will not stir a finger to
amend them. Hitherto the active re.
formers have BEEN in a discouraging minor.
ity, and the public, whose cause they are
defending. has looked on lsziIy. careless
which got the victory, and we are afraid
rather inclined to back the machine -
men than their opponents.
The issue is not one which can long be
carried on by small minority. Either
the whole people must throw themselves
into the fight on the side of reform, or cor.
ruption will win the day. And the out.
look Is at present not at all encouraging,
The two national parties are at this mo.
ment almost equally destitute of great prin.
ciples. They confront one another with.
out Issues, save that of the offices and
plumber. They both employ the same
methods. They are both deeply tainted
with the same corruption. They are both
on low moral plane. Yet they continue
to divide the country between them, and
as yet there is no sign OF any impotence
with their deterioration, or any desire to
substitute a higher and better political
system for that which they represent.
And while politics, State and National,
appear to occupy very important place
in the national life, there is much more
seeming than reality in this. The
press is largely concerned with politics,
| but the masses are for the most part
almost wholly absorbed in business.
Commerce, industry, agriculture, enter.
prises OF many kinds, hold the attention
OF the great majority of men. Active
business men do not find time for politics
as rule, and what is more, there is No
likelihood that they will find any more
leisure in the future. A great and growing
and prosperous country like the United
States offers thousand business attractions
to men of keen energy and foresight.
They are in hurry to get rich, and they
do not see their way to. wealth through
politics. So they leave these affairs to
whoever chooses to undertake them, and
they merely reserve to themselves the right
OF voting upon the tickets which are made
up for them.
OF course the inevitable consequence Of
this condition of things is the existence Of
class OF professional politicians, and that
is an evil which has been complained Of
sufficiently already. Complaint, however,
IS OF little or no use 80 long as it does no,
lead to action. In one or two cases, as TO,
instance in Pennsylvania, it has led to ac
ton, and it is TO be hoped that the exam
pie OF the Keystone State may be followed
by Others. But reviewing political history
broadly it cannot be shown that even the
most energetic assaults against machine ;
y
methods have in the past produced any per
manent reform. The reason of this is that al
such attacks have been spasmodic and
ephemeral. When once the " machine y
has been beaten, the reformers have re.
garded their work as accomplished, and
have retired. Or they have, as in New
| York, only succeeded in substituting one
| set OF tyrants for another. And this mus,
/ continue to be the case until it become.
possible TO do away with the methods hith.
erto employed, since those methods are .o
themselves capable of frustrating any re.
form movement. While, moreover. the
success of the machine is the result O,
constant attention to it, that of the re-
! formers is the result OF impetuous and
evanescent dashes. Those ,dashes over
the machine =" reappears, as strong a.
ever The busy men who have laid aside
their lie work for moment to reform pol
itics, return to their tasks, and in a sbor,
time the old conditions revive.
1 This is the monotonous record of every
American reform movement thus far. The
question is whether anything better can be
expected in the future. If it is impossible
to reform politics without constant atten.
tion, and if that constant attention can.
not and will not be devoted to the work BY
the public generally, what hope can there
be OF permanent improvement Hitherto
the general tone of public opinion on polit.
ical questions has not been very elevated
Demagogues have been able always 10
hoodwink the masses by the most trans.
parent devices, and though their trick,
have been repeated hundred times. thew
continue to find creduleus audiences all
over the country. The appeals by which
votes are secured are for the most par.
such as intelligent voters ought not to &C.
cept, yet they are as a matter of fact &C.
cepted. And though it is evident even to
the most careless observer that corruption
has OF late years been on the increase and
while the peoples representatives. ere CON.
ksrusIIv c,,,Itu of <ha ,,,o,k .o..l.f.
iaches, it is equally clear that public per.
ception Of these immoralities has become
duller than formerly, and that partisanship
appears to cover multitude of sins. All
these indications are not encouraging to
those who see the urgent need of reform.
They are in fact almost sufficient to justify
despair of it. Yet there seems no other
way open than that which the Civil Ser
vice Reform Association has taken, and
slew though the process of popular educa.
ticn may be, it is the only remedy avail.
able. At the same time we think that
some waste of reform energy is involved in
the constant denunciation of Congress and
the Administration. seeing that the course
of these is determined by influences and
agencies which lie much farther back, and
Tor the survival of which the people T. sm.
selves are ultimately responsible.
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