Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-06-13
PARTY SUPREMACY.


The new order cannot use machinery
which allows the reigning party to be
master of the situation.
Now the successful party appoints the
peoples rulers, and all public affairs are
conducted with a view to party interests.
For as Stickney remarks;
"The people on the day of election
have at most the choice between two
men or sets of men; and with the point
who these two sets of men are to be the
people at large have little or nothing to
do. 1t may be said that the people can
have something to do with the selection
of the candidates. However that may
be, it is the fact that they do not and
we are here considering the way our sys-
tenn really works"
No one will deny that all our elective
officers, from head to foot, are elected.
not by the people, but by the caucus of
the party which happens to be successful.
And the caucus or convention is simply
an irresponsible gathering of men whom
selfish interests draw and bind together.
Listen to a good party organ:
1.-THE Republican votein this city New
York; two years ago was 81 1870. Ii is
the simple truth to say that not more
than fifty men had anything to do with
the actual choice of the delegates who
went to Saratoga 1882 with "a pretense
Of representing the great body Of
voters
Next, official action has ever since
Thomas Jefferson founded the first op-
position party, been directed to the SER
vice of party interest instead of the peo-
pies interests. Our officials are and
must be plant men; if not, they are
driven from public life; these are matters
of notoriety. Even such an honest man
as Lincoln had to make scandalols an
pointments. His Secretary of the Inte-
rlor declared that, if he dared he could
run his department with half his force of
clerks and for half its cost Such another
would-be- honest president as Hayes had
to pay for electoral votes with the peoples
| offices.
Our institutions, instead of subscribing
public interests, are political fortresses.
Think what is at stake this fall-o total
Of ttco hundred and thirty places IN the
county Of Oneida." exclaimed a Utica
paper during a late election. And vet
people who superciliously call Socialism
Utopia imagine that an act of Congress
can give us civil service reform Do
they really believe that figs will grow on
thistles?
No; attend for once to the essentials:
destroy these parties which at present
are the peoples masters; which, as Stick
ney so abundantly proves, in normal
State are unmitigated evils and these
trliies are certain to right themselves.
But please distinguish between combina
tons OF men for the purpose of carving
measures which always will exist-and
our permanent parties, standing parties
as they may be called. In our party con-
tests men do not battle for measures. they
fight for candidates. "Our parties do
not elect men to put into action certain
principles; they use principles as battle
cries to elect certain men," Take a
glance, for instance, through the So
called political records" of Hurper's
Ndgazile We find from first to last.
absolutely nothing, but the names of
men and the offices for which they, res
pectively have been nominated or elected
'Politics, then, from being the Science
ofGovernment has become-Co-operatiy
Office seehing'
1t was wise to form party as neces-
sary organ of resistance to negro-slavery
But when that object was gained, then
the need OF party was gone; from that
moment the Republican party became
nothing but a faction, stuffed full with
dollars.
The NeT Ortler cannot use muchiapyu
mhich renders or legislators the people's
masters aud allors them to conduct public
affairs ~ith a rietc to pirate and class
interests.
Our history furnishes some signal in
stances in point. The people have quite
frequently demanded the resignation of
their representatives; State legislatures
have demanded it of their senators-in-
stances therefore where there could he
no doubt Of the identity of the constitu-
ency what has been the answer
"Iou have no business at all to demand
my resignation; 1t is absolute presump-
ton in you to do So
perfectly correct answer according