The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-04-26
PARTY PROBLEMS.

Hon. Carl schurz in North American RevieU
Great corporations haze grown up, WELD
ing a power which may challenge that Of the
Government itself New interests have
developed themselves, and with them new
conflicts, some Of them beyond the reach
and control Of local selfgovernment In
consequence, we have people with new
social organization, new wants, new griey-
ance-, and new aspirations, and becoming
more and more accustomed to look 10 a
central authority for things which formerly
we're not considered within the range Of its
functions Whether we consider these
tremendous changes a. good or evil, as
iraught with danger or full ofpronise, they
are ;he natural outgrowth Of development
bound 10 come and to 90 on, and they can
not remain without great effect upon the
nature aud working machinery Of the
Government.
The simple principles which form the
foundations Of republican institutions re-
main the same. But their application 10
the state Of things now existing, with its
new requirements, is no longer as simple az
IL was defined in the formulas Of the past.
These requirements cannot be safely disre-
garded. The powers Of the general govern
ment have to be 80 adjusted that they may
be equal 70 the demands Of our present
condition without eucroaching upon the
legitimate province Of local selfgovernment,
and without becoming dangerous instru-
ment Of usurpation in the hands Of those
who WELD them. The responsibility for the
exercise Of those powers has to be 50 sys-
tematicaliy distributed aud fixed, that no
public function be without its well-defned
aud tangible share OF it-a need which is
very obvious in view Of the confused anar-
chy which now prevails in that respect A
way has to be found to make more availa-
BILE aud useful to the Government, in all its
branches, the best intelligence and character
in the country, now in great part excluded
from public employment by the peculiar
nature Of our constituencies and the work.
ing Of the party machinery, or Withdrawn
from il by the superior advantages ofprivatC
pursuits. The administrative machinery
Of the Government has to be 50 organized
that not only higher degree Of integrity
intelligence, knowledge, and efficiency be
secured for the service, but that the public
offices cease to be an agency of corruption
and Generalization in our political lite
OF this comprehensive problem the reform
Of the civil service is only part, but very
important one, and the only one that has st
far come in a definite form to the attention
Of the people These problems are Of greater
, consequence even than our questions o
finance and customs, for their solution vii
be destined to produce more permanent ant
farther-reaching results.
The existing political parties, in thei
present condition, appear scarcely fitted fol
the appreciation and treatment of thi
problem. The purposes for which the,
were originally organized in the past haC
! reference to a different state of things
Only upon civil service reform they have
pronounced themselves in a perfunctorv
, and as far as the regular organizations ar
concerned, insincere or Indifferent manner
= Neither of them represents at present any
! thing like organized opinion as to tn
f tasks Of the future. The spoils system ha
brought forth that kind Of machine polite
one OF whose characteristic features it is t,
look at every topic with reference to tn
; advantage its treatment one way or another
will Yield at the next election, the Partie;
, thus living from hand TO. mouth.
II But the very fact that they are so evenl
/ balanced in strength as to be obliged t
. beach for whatever outside support they ca
obtain, makes them accessible to the Unfit
cnce which an enlightened and independen
public opinion can bring to bear upo
them. In the present period of transition
r. the popular mind is unusually open to tn
discussion of those great problems of go'
ernment which are upon us, and currents
p thought and sentiment may thus be put
Is motion sufficiently strong to carry one
,- the other of the existing parties from poir
to point, thus accomplishing through thi
= instruneutality results in detail, growing
j. importance as they accumulate. The part
m which receives these influences most readi
a. and gives them effect, will thereby develC
new clements of vitality-which, howe ve
y can be done at the expense of those methot
y OF political management which have sprul
Y, from the spoils system. If, on the contr
a ~, both of them resist those currents
= opinion, the latter will probably gro
u powerful enough to force into existence
r new formation, with a courageous spirit
I'd initiative and programme born of Il
o. requirements Of the times.