The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-05-21
WHEELING. W. VA, NAY al. 1883.


M...#|| ~ ~
As applied to politics, 4 machine Is
s~elfshness and. arrogance. 1t is the few
banded and double.riveted together against
the many. It exerts itself first upon a
party; through the party it reaches the
people. It's aim Is personal aggrandi1sment;
tothis end that which will not bend must
break, II the machine have the power to
enforce It's iron will. 1t Is necessarily
without conscience; all the ends itssaims at
are It's own, for itself. The welfare OF the
party is held subordinate to the welfare OF
the machine. 1t will do or leave undone
as the n or the other shall better serve It's
purposes.
It sets up for the party oracle. lit be o.
Democratic machine, 1t isthe only origina
Jacobs; no Democracy is genuine without
It's trade mark. All other Democrats are
hypocrites and traitors. And 50 1t is with
n Republican machine. We hear more
about Republican machines because Re-
publicans are less tolerant Of machine rule
than Democrats, who more readily consent
to be handled in the lump. The Repub'
lican party was founded on the idea OF the
freedom OF the individual, the equality Of
all men before the law, and this idea II
insists must be carried into and through
party management, or the party will drop
away from the management and try to
exist without It. A machine inevitably
weakens a party which tolerates 1t, 30 that
in this day, in the light Of disastrous ex.
periencs, it is thought better to weaken
the machine while the party is strong
enough to stand on it's legs.
A machine and party leadership are not
like things. The one holds by iiuesse, by
celseless strategy, by an offensive system
OF records and punishments having rela.
ton solely to its own tenure. The other
holds by popular choice and assent. The
leader has a loyal following. The machine
manager falls when he can no longer
drive. A party no more than an army can
do its best work without organization and
le .dership, but this Is quite another thing
from the machine.
In West Virginia there is a Democratic
m,chine, and if everybody dosn't know
how it works everybody does know what
it works. 1t packs conventions and fills
oaices.the aspirant for Democratic fayors
whose back is not burnt with its branding
iron is without the hope Of success. 1tlays
d ,wn lines Of party policy to refuse to
conform To them is treason, to be punished
accordingly. Under this rule the Demo.
cratic party is slipping its grip on West
yirsinia-a result which Republicans are
able TO contemplate with composure. tits
much the same way in some other States
where the mastery Of the dominant Demo-
cratic party has been seized for like pur-
poses.
We have seen the effect on Republican
States Of machine rnle. They bad it in
Pennsylvania, and they allowed it to go SO
far that a great body Of misguided Republic
cans went outside Of the party to redress
the wrong. They opened the ranks and
let the Democratic procession pass through.
Now a Democratic machine is installed,
and It is reapiug the harvest with a
vengeance. Republicans are coming to-
asthsr in Pennsylvania, and at the next
s,sction n all poes we'll, that Republican
Sat- vii he brought back to its Republic
can moorines, The mistake Of the Penn.
.sylyania R%epublicans who went out was
that h a did not stay in and help those
Who did stay In the party but were none
.ha ,ess onuosad to machine rule. Except
Az nsmncra,ic trinmpb. ali that has been
accomnlishsd outside of the party might
have bssn accomplished within it. An
o,bs, mistake If the Pennsylvania Repub.