Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-22

hchs ci MS lOiioWciS 40 dSio III poiisiSo<
service" As early as 1906. according to
Wkelpley, the Office of President was con-
pletely beyond the reach Of the great TEsss
Of the people; few men were given to
ssv who should be the man. That writer,
at that date, declared that political in
trigue xas driving us toward an aris-
tocracy.
John Jay felt the whip of the caucus,
which one of our correspondents is anxious
all party voters shall attend-a very diff
cult task, by the way, when the methods of
fixing and parboiling the caucus in add
vance, in Sacramento, are recalled to mem
DRY. Ills sublime declaration ia 1912 is
keynote for reform to-day. and gives the
He approved, he wrote, the customary
mode Of nominating candidates, and eve
have uniformly concurred in it; that con-
currene certainly involved our tacit con-
sent to be bound by the nomination which
should be made. But it is equally certain
that sub consent did, does and Ger tciu rest on
the con ditioa, trust and confidence that such
nsmineaions oaLy be made as zoe could or can
supporfrithom transferring the obligation ue
are u'afsr 10 preserUe orr characters and our
minds. free from Humiliation and reprocch"
They bosses never have and never will
recognize this divine reservation, and so
long as they will not, SO long will the mass
of the voters remain away from the pri-
mary and the caucus If it is replied that
by attendance the voters could set up the
rule of Jays limitation, 1T is to be answered
that, having the machinery in hand, the
bosses being organized thoroughly, always
have and always will defeat such purpose
by intrigue. There remains, therefore, but
one specific, and that is organization outside
Of machine lines, within party bounds, if
you please, but wholly antagonistic to the
doctrine of party rewards; wholly devoted
to the end of securing the best government
and the best administration of it.
And all this, be it borne in mind, will in
no wise involve any abandonment of the
principle that the triumphant party in
elections shall mold governmental policy
according to the party principles since the
voters, by giving dominance to party,
express their wish to that end. In other
words, party policy for the county does not
mean and should never mean simply the
reward of party servitors.
Non-partisanship, in sincerity, is simply
rebellion against party malconduct. When
it amounts to successful revolution, then it
will control party until another line of
losses are evolved by human selfishness,
when rebellion and revolution must again
follow. For reform in party is never to be
wholly ACCOMPLISHED fact; it must be
continuing labor, continuing protest, and
continuing punhhment since men will
remain pretty much as they are, so long as
political parties exist.
The words Of Jay relative to national
politics are as true to-day of municipal
politics. The bosses rule because so soon
as an election over, the voters condone
whatever they have done, no matter how
hardly they Kick " prior to election. In
the knowledge OF the fact that this has
been, is, and wll be so up to the point of
rebellion, the bosses trust Civil service
reform antagoilizes the spoils system at all
times, and 1t IS therefore, perfectly natural
that the machine men of party should OPP
pose it.
Diyorcemert of municipal affairs from
politics is not as one of our correspond
ents assumes gauzy pretext. to elect a
Democratic ticket, nor is it the idea of
Missionaries. means the choosing of
good local administrators on the basis of
fitness, free frcm all obligations to bosses
of either parry to do or not to do, and ac-
countable solely and only to the electors.
Chosen by Republican and Democratic
bosses, they are amenable to them only,
and ought to be. That is the breadth and
length and thickness of the whole matter
so far as it relates to cities.
Henry George was right when he de-
clared that the Importance of the political
machine" is due most largely to the cost
of elections. That the Legitimate ex-
penses of elections are the offspring of the
legitimate, and hence come the public
plunderers. For this reason he favored
the Australian election system, but which
would apply here only after material mod
LEGATIONS. The principle is right, how.
ever, that eliminates by law all expenses
furnishes lists of registered candidates a,
public expense, to voters, and gives then
freedom to cast the ballot for whom they
please.
As local example of the viciousness OF
"cost in elections, we are authoritatively
informed by victim of prominence, that
the village of Washington, opposite thi.
city, casting about one hundred votes, cost.
Iolo county nominees for county offices al
each election the pretty sum of $1,000
that is, $1,000 to each political party,
which, averaged, makes the cost $50 per
vote, assuming that fifty keep out of the
filthy pool. All good citizeDls ought to in.
dorse Mr.. Georges expression: 1t should
be possible to so improve omsmethods that
a citizen can run for office, md be elected
to office without spending a large sum. OF
mortgaging his official acts 1t ought to
be possible to break up that system which
tends to bar all but the ms, -: fsinulons rich
Or t9s-'srin more unscrupmous poor, and
which demoralizes the people, while it cor.
rupts the Government And it is p,ssi.
Bile; aud organized rebelliors against boss.
ism will effect it.
THE DAY.