The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-12
Practical Politics.

To the Editor of the indianapolis journal:
Theory and practice have always been
coupled together, the one expressive of the idea,
the other of its execution. But so long as human
nature remains what it is no man will practice
his own theories; he will allow things in his own
actions which he is very free to condemn in 9th
ers, and will find some good excuse in his own
particular case. In politics there is a theory
and a practicable former paraded in speeches
and editorials the latter controlling the actions
of our central committees and political workers
No one familiar with practical politics in these
days dares deny that there are practices univers-
ally conceded by workers as necessary, but
which in private are spoken of in guarded Ian
guage and in public entirely ignored AS the
great mass of soldiers have no conception of
the twists and turns forced upon
their generals to insure success, so
the great mass of voters are in dense
ignorance of the means being used to bring vic
tory to their party. Theory loudly condemns
these quiet but effective means, and honest men
everywhere confess that theory is right There
is no doubt what ought to be even in politics. but
we are called upon to deal not with politics as
they ought to be, but with politics as they are
There is no question that the boy ought not to
have been so careless as to have tumbled into
the water, DuJ tne IdcJ was ne was there, and
that was the problem the man on the bank was
called upon to gFapple with. If politics, when
thoroughly exposed becomes so disgusting to
the honest that they practically leave it to its
own flthness, it is all the worse for the honest,
for Phariseeisln can never bring about ref
ormation. The fact is the two great political
parties are so evenly pitted against each other
that what is known as the floating voter
controls the situation. Certain great principles
are announced in the contendng platforms
which may mean something or nothing, which
may control the policy of the victorious party or
not. The best evidence is the record of the two
parties, for it is very much safer to presume
that party will be true to its record than true
to its platform. When called upon to vote we
make a selection of the record that suits us best
and so the great mass of votes are cast, but the
result is uncertain. There remains the float
ing vote" which must be controlled in some
way by the party that would be successful. It
is a notorious fact that this floating vote is for
sale, and to honest party managers who natur
ally revolt at this sort of thing and heartily de
spse the mereepary voter, two horns of o di
lemma are presented. They must either decline
to buy and let victory perch upon the banners of
the other party trusting to the future to be jus
titled, accept the situation, make the neces
sary purchases and lead their own party to vic
tory In other words, there is choice between
immediate loss, offset by q visionary gain and
immediate gain, Offset by possible loss of self
respect 1t takes considerably sanctifed human
nature to hesitate long between these choices
such human nature as is not commonly found in
the composition of our central committees Of
course, it is a shame that such things are so, and
both parties most loudly condemn such practices
in each other; this is the theory part but it is
easy to find an excuse for our own special case
CRAwFoRDsVILLE, March 10.