Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-04-19


to Justify the monopoly of the good things
at disposal by q particular clique of that
party. Nor can it be seriously doubted
that if President Garfield had lived, the
men who looked to him for support would
have demanded the complete exclusion of
the "Stalwart" wing from office, and it is by
no means certain that Garfield would have
been strong enough TO resist this demand.
Every Blaine politician knows perfectly
we'll that if his wing could have had their
way they would not have left jot or
little of power or patronage in the hands OF
their opponents that in fact they would
almost sooner have assisted Democrats to
office than Grant or Conkling men. There
is no more breadth, magnanimity or liberal
ity in one wing than in the other. They
all believe in the same methods. They all
propose to support and maintain them
selves in the same way. But the truth Is
that the assassination of Garfield put the
Grant. Conkling clique on top, and that
they have proceeded to make the most OF
their opportunities precisely as any other
politicians would have done in their place.
And it seems to us alike futile and
poor-spirited for those who firmly believe
in the methods which both they and their
opponents employ, to cry out against the
policy of the latter, and to set up the
hypocritical pretense that it is unfair.
From their own best recognized stand
point it is not unfair, for it is exactly what
they intended to do had Garfield lived.
And there certainly never was any ground
for surprising that when General Arthur
became President he would abandon the
methods which all his party friends had
agreed to accept as orthodox. He was
bred up in the school OF machine" poll
tics. He has been taught to regard that
school as the ripesS development of Re-
publican craftsmanship. Why should he
abandon it at the suggestion of those
whom he knows to be his enemies He
il perfectly capable of psrceiving that the
only result of distributing Cabinet and
other places impaitially between the two
wings of the party would be to surrender
the best opportunities within his reach for
strer gthening himself, and to give his ene-
mics an advantage which they would be
certain to use against him. Is it probable
that man with his political training
would feel disposed to keep Blaine by his
side, especially if there be truth in the re-
port that he himself is candidate for a
second Executive term? Would Blaine,
had he been in Arthur's position, have
done such thing?
1t may be said that this is a very narrow
way of looking at the situation, That
assertion we do not deny, but we say that
those who accept "mochine" methods
have no right to complain because others
employ them also. The present condition
of things in the Republican party is the
legitimate consequence OF adopting
"machine methods. Clique Govern
ment is naturally evolved from "machine"
Government, and the latter has been &C.
cepted by Republicans generally as the
only practical system Of politics. Under
Grant we came very near to the establish
ment of number of separate Gov
ernments or satrapies, closely resem.
bling those semi-independent ones which
Napoleon's Marshals established in Spain
at the beginning of the century. Logan
and Cameron and Conkling and other bold
political managers were then in fair way
to erect what might have been permanent
political sub.kingdoms. Even then the
party did not until the very last moment
seem to realize the dangers Of the situation,
! but when its enlightenment came the
whole scheme fell to pieces like card
house. 1t might have been thought that
this warning would have suticed, but since
no steps were taken to get rid of the
agencies which had produced the abnormal
growth, it was to be expected that other
morbid developments would appear sub
sequently.
We do not think it can be asserted that
if Garfield had lived there would have been
an end to "machine politics. He was
very able man, but he was not a very
firm one, and it is extremely doubtful if
he could have resisted, much more over
come, the powerful influences against
which even Grants determination proved
impotent. In fact we hold that it is
mere waste of time to declaim against
the results of system, so long as nothing
is being done to reform the system itself.
The machine" may always be relied on
to produce the same general results, no
matter who runs it. A Garfield machine
would not have been preferable to an
Arthur machine, save as regards some in
dividual interests. The quarrels of cliques
over matters of this kind, however, have
no special significance for the American
people, who have the best reason for say
ing, "a plague on both your houses :"
What is needed is the elimination of the
machine from politics. Until that end
can be comprised, and until the voters are
prepared to demand and insist upon it, all
the denunciations uttered by disappointed
politicians may very well be passed by in.
differently, as meaning nothing more than
that the "outs would like to be the
ins, though there is no ground for sup
posing that they would give the country
any better government. The friends of
Arthur may not be the friends of Garfield,
but all alike base their hopes upon, and
regulate their policy by, the same ina
'chine " methods.
TIE JESSE JAMES CASE.