National Republican., 1884-04-10
Inrrnrrirmrrh rnIitIcInna.

inexperienced Politicians.
1t is greatly to be regretted that the strong
political feeling which the pending ptesi-
Dental contest has developed in all parts Of
the country should have cropped out with SO
much virulonco in the District of Columbia.
This is the only inhabited spot within tho
limits of tho United States where no pro-
vision is made for ascertaining tho popular
will upon any question, and when an effort
is made to Rivo expression to the preferences
of the people for a presidential candidate Cfor
whom they cannot vote) it must be done
without the aid of. the regularly organized
machinery by which primary elections are
managed in more highly favored communi-
ties. The hastily extemporized methods of
choosing delegates and holding conventions
are exceedingly defective, and they do not
carry with them the moral force that at.
taches to the established CUSTOMS rules, and
laws by which regularly organized political
parties are governed.
Tho thing which gives vitality to all polit.
ical action is wanting-the right of suffrage
In the absence Of this essential principle of
popular government IL is impossible to get
any considerable number of the people to
take any interest in local primary elections
or delegate conventions. The whole busi-
ness falls into the hands of a few persons
who are at liberty to accomplish the ends
ryh h,, ,,,, h,,,
they may choose to adopt. There is no party
disci pine, nor is there any restraining public
opinion. Anything can be done that does
not involve u breach of the peace. But few
of the intelligent citizens take any interest
in the matter, and the battle ia fought be.
tween rival managers each Of whom enlists as
many OF the rank and file into his service as
he may deem necessary to carry the day.
This is true to certain extent of all cities,
and it is pre-eminently true of Washington,
where there is no motive for the masses of
the people to take any part in politics. No
one could help but notice that the voters at
the primary election on Monday evening were
mainly colored, and that they constituted
but handful Of the whole colored popula-
tion. Delegates were sent to the convention
who, for the most part, were Of the same
class as the people who voted for them, and
when these representatives of contending
factions came into sharp collision in the
convention it could scarcely be expected
that their proceedings would be dignifed or
orderly. majority of the delegates were
men who had ne yer been trained in the
amenities and courtesies of deliberative
bo dies. Most of them were utterly mex.
perenced, AMI not few were ignorant, rude,
and boisterous. i
The remedy is not to shut these people out
from all participation in political affairs but
to enlarge the sphere Of political action.
Above all things, they need training in the
duties of citizenship, and this they will never
get if their OK perience is to be limited to the
holding of delegate convention every four
years under the direction of partisan man.
| ayers who are looking out for their own in
| terests Such of them as are ambitious of
being politicians should have the opportunity
.of learning something of the art of politics
| in school where the law is supreme, where
responsibilities must be met, and every
thing must be submitted to the final test of
public opinion. The right to vote presumes
a certain degree of intelligence on the part of
the citizen, a certain degree of honesty,
courage, and manliness, and, above all, q self
control which respects established forms and
rules and bows uncomplainingly to the will
of the majority when honestly and legally
expressed.