The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-01-17

business, in the hope that they can
make the country believe that the
Republicans and not themselves are
responsible for the failure of legisla-
ton.
REFoRMERs and Independents are
still exercised over the question OF
uniting the Republican party, and
are sorely concerned about the
means of securing harmony. We
yer told SO often and SO positively,
by the simon pure and only original
reformers, during last years canvass,
that the defeat of the Republican
State ticket was the only thing nee
essary to unite and purify the par
w" that it is really Il matter OF sur
prise 10 hear, from the same quarter,
that there is now any lack OF unity
or purity in the party. Yet, for the
past month OF SO, the reformers have
been bewailing the divisions still
visible, and calling for prescriptions
warranted 10 heal ali party dissen-
sions. There is but little variety ia
the remedies proposed They are.
in substance, that there must be no
more machine management"-"the
bosses must be deposed'-"the pol
iticians must take back seats"-and
1.-The people should be given the
largest freedom in the management
of primaries and the selection of
candidates
All this has decidedly the aspect
of political quackery. The talk
about mo more machine manage
ment' is of the variety long descrlb-
ed as rigmarole, and, in the more
terse vocabulary OF the present day,
is known as gulf" What is styled
the management of the machine"
consists in doing the work OF point
ical organization, and the nomination
of candidates. This work is begun
at the primaries. and finished IN the
COuNtiltiUtlS IL Ciiinob W oicIob
tinued so long as parties exist and
candidates are to be nominated.
The question, therefore, is not wheth-
er there shall be machine manage
ment," but it is by whom and III
what interest the machine" shall be
ma mayed. On this point there can
be 0 room for DOUBT. The political
machine, like every other, will be
managed by those who take part IN
the work of management. IL will
be managed 10y that portion OF the
people who attend the primaries and
the conventions not by those vino
shout for reform, but who stay at
home. The talk about giving the
people a larger control of affairs"
also, is the rankest kind of gulf"
Since the organization of the party,
the people have had all the power
they have chosen to exercise. All
the evils complained of have been
the consequence of popular neglect
Of political duties. Those who have
taken the trouble to attend to 1.-The
machine" have managed it in their
own interest. 1t can be managed In
the public interest only by the same
degree of attention on the part ofthe
people. Ii our shouting reformers,
instead of ch~attering about giving
the people the largest freedom in the
management of primaries and con
~ventions," could devise some method
of compelling the people to exercise
the freedom and power which they
already have, it would be vastly
more to the purpose.
No political reform can have any
stability unless it is enforced and
maintained at the primaries. The
people cannot depose the bosses"
unless they do the work at the pri-
maries which the bosses are certain
to do if the people neglect it. No
reform can make the people their
own rulers any further than the
people will do the work of ruling /;
and this work begins at the prima-
ries.
How little can be done toward
making an end of machine man
segment" by a popular uprising at
the polls" has just been strikingly
shown in the organization of The
State Senate. Senator Reyburn, of
Philadelphia, IA especially obnox-
iOus to the reform element. He
was nevertheless selected as the
machine" candidate for Speaker /;
and neither the Independent protest
nor the lesson at the polls" last
November, was sufficient to prevent
his election. by the votes of twenty
six out of thirty Republican Sena-
tors. 1t may be that the Independ-
ents overstated the legitimate de-
mands of REFORM" in holding that
twenty-six men should surrender to
four. 1t seems clear, however, that
the twenty-six have not read the
November s'lesson" as the Independ
ents, throughout the canvass, az
sumed that it would be read
Honesdate Citizen.