National Republican., 1883-09-21
PoIlt.ca, Disease. md Remedies.


the occasion. Its tone was admirable, and
its intention manifestly most worthy. The
senator we'll said that IL was useless to attempt
to hide tho fact that in the immediate past
the republican party in New York had not
been altogether harmonious. IIo held it to
bo equally unwise for republicans TO
indulge in rccrimination one with another.
This might be said of the republicans of tho
country at large. We quito agree, also, with
the senator's explanation that tho now fam
gled faction names Of "half breed" and "stal-
the speech was its declaration that there were
diseases in the party which required positive
treatment. What was said in this regard was
intended to invite discussion, and if the in
vitation is met with genuine attempt to
first discover the character of the disease aud
then to ascertain o remedy and apply it, the
republican party will be restored to sound
health.
The senator's diagnosis is that republicans
abstain from participation in the primary
elections because of old processes and systems
that have been used, which they have out.
grown, and that they withhold their support
from candidates whom they have not aided
to nominate. His proposed remedy is
change in the party system, whereby dele
gates can be chosen directly from the
people, each small locality being re-
presented by delegates thus selected.
In brief, he thinks the masses Of the
republican voters of the country arc deferred
from active participation in the party coun-
ellis by some influence outside of themselves,
and that "if our institutions are not to fail
we must have such system, such plan of
organization, rs will induce the people to
come into the primaries and take their just
share in the management and organization
of the party" Just thero is the rub. The
disease of the party and of the country is in
the Indifference of tho body of the people
to their own political concerns. 7hcy do
not roic at primaries because they do not
choose to. They stay away voluntarily,
and not because they arc hindered. Tho
trUth is they have heard such an outcry
against primaries and politics that they have
len frightened away from what should be
the first duty of Il citizen. They read in great
iolrnal3 and hear ON loud mouthel re-
formers that political work is Infamous, and
that man who interests himself in the ques-
ton of who shall make and exGcu the laws
is sort Of social pariah to be avoided.
All movements having reference to the
organization of the national and state gov
eInments are political. They arc the politics
of tho times, All who in any manner par
tcira.e in them arc politicians. There are
good and bad politicians, just as there are
honest and dishonest business men. Be-
cause bank officials steal and are sent to
the penitcntiary, it does not follow
that banks and bankers are to be cxecrated.
Because vile men mingle in the politics of
the day it docs not follow that politicians are
to be branded with infamy, and decent mon
be thereby made ashamed to discharge tho
duty, incumbent on all good citizens, of being
| politicians.
But, in addition to those who stay away
from primaries to escape the odium cast uron
politicians, there is much larger class who
stay away because of q stoid indifference to
public matters. These are unworthy citH ms.
They have no public spirit-no love oil
country. They have ~ little interest in the
form or quality of government under which
they live rs swine have in the kind of wood
Of which their pens are built. They only
want to be able to sue in court
tccted against burglars and highwnymen
They care not who gets office, so long a,
they can so on munchinG the acorns. Scna
tor Miller will be entitled 10 the highest re
ward If he can invent such Il system as viii
Induce the people" OF this class TO come into
the primaries.
There is another element in the ills undci
which the party suffers, and that is the greed
for Office. The Office craze is most alarming
among those who see no hope for its gratif
} cation, The theory is that parties arc formed
or rather that they grow, around some high
and dominating public purpose. Some grea
wrong is TO be rcmcdicd, or some advance t
} he made uron the vast. The people whc
+ were agreed that the spread of slavery mus
bo stayed, naturally came together and de
tcrmncd to unite their votes for prosidcn
and representative of their way of thinking
Their success brought resistance, whicl
created the great union party of 1861, ant
that superseded and absorbed the republican
r party Of 1856 When the people are NJ
, longer interested in preventing a reaction
= which would dishoner the nation and seem Al
> apology for twonty years ofprogress the repub
, lican party will disband. 1t cannot be KEEP
} together merely on tho question of the man
ner of administration, for the reason that M
r issue can bo made on such u question Al
? agree that the administration Of tho govern
0 mont should be pure and economical. Ih
D greed for Office has made itself heard hig
: above all questions of general import
: ance. For twelve years we have soc
q miserable struggle going on in tn
kitchen and back yard of the party
for thp honpS and O0nl nf nlnpo Tho nniC