Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-09-25
Politics and Economy,

ton maintain IN existence two great
political parties, neither of which is
willing to take Il definite stand upon
either side of any great administrative
or financial question, and this notwith.
standing the fact that nowhere in the
nation are we confronted by a single
question which is political, as contra
distinguished from economical, for
our political emancipation was won
long ago, and leaves little to be de-
sired. while our economical cmancipa-
ton has yet to be achieved. Worst of
all, these party divisions reach down
even to the wards of cities. and pre-
vent or nullify the effects of any co.
operation among the citizens as such,
acting together for the reduction OF
local tax rate. The public book
keeping attracts but few, and those
few go to the polls on election day and
vote against each other because some
twenty years ago there were national
issues which transcribed all book
keeping. The people are like the
members of Il great stock company
who own n few shares each, and know
ing that any loss must be distributed
pro rata, are willing to remain igno-
rant of the Company's accounts, and
trust to luck and .hcir Subordinates.
Our municipalities are such joint.Stock
companies, and are the only ones
which our business men treat in this
way. 1t is one of the pcculiarities
of our form of government in cities
that those who should be and ultimate
ly are most interested in them fail in
tho inclination 10 study their finances,
although they have to meet the de-
mandS of the budgets, and although
the budgets are the summary of the
conditions and possibilities of munich
pal life. In physics we are taught the
laws of states before we take up those
of dynamics, but in politics this is COM
pletcly reversed, and we talk contin-
ually of what may be and of what
should he, without knowing or caring
to know what actually is. The people
simultaneously demand small tax rates
and a larger expenditure for public
works, or an enlargement of the func-
tions of the government. The people,
if deeds and not words be taken as
symptoms, are more patient of the in
crease of public expenditure than they
are impatient of the public burden,
even when they know that with the
public moneys the politicians are doing
those things which they ought not TO
do, and leaving undonc those things
which they ought to do. So true is this
that in some parts of the country, in
New Jersey and Maine, the people
have permitted the municipalities to
Re cXtravagant to the point of bank
ruptcy. If one were to say that the
remedy for such Il disease of the pub
lie mind is the study of statistics, he
might be roundly laughed at, and yet
he would be by no means wide OF the
mark. flour voters would devote but
a little time to the matter, and disrc-
garding altogether the splendid princi-
pies of the appeals to their passions
and prcjudiccs which are the basis of
the claims of political parties to their
consideration, and having familiarizcd
themselves somewhat with the ma
chineiy of government rather than
with the government of the machine,
study the budgets themselves, and
then Judge and act as they do when
looking over their own balance-sheets,
the much-cried for reforms would not |
be so slow in coming. Such n study
of the figures robs political questions
of their personal, traditional, and con-
tingent character, shows the real ten
dency of affairs, and gives the stamp
of truth or of falschood to the prom
ises of politicians, whom we follow too
largely for what they say rather than
what they do. Furthermore, it goes
without saying that if the great prob
lens which are fraught with danger
for our country are really economical
and administrative, this is the only |
way to study them, for the figures are
not apt at lying, which is more than
can be said for the politicians, who dis.
tort their true meaning when they no.
tice them at all. The ordinary occupa-
tion of the politician when he is not in
office is trying to get there, by educat-
ing his constituents into the belief that
if they will onlyprcfer him to his op-
ponents he will work some sort of
financial miracle, unless he can appeal
to them more directly by promise of
division of the spoils. No one declares
so frequently MS he that figures are no
partlsans, and then proceeds directly
to make them tell the most outrageous
of lies in his particular interest. WI
liam NJ. IvinS, in Harper'S Magazine for
October.