Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-22
REVIVAL OF THE CRUSADE AGAINST
B0ssEs-P0LITICAL SPECIFICS Fn..
GRIEvOUS ILLS.


The war against the abosseso has been
revived in San Francisco. There is some
feeble effort in like direction here. Two
articles appeared in the RECORD UNION of.
Saturday on this, important topic. Both
were protests against machine rule. and
psothstrong pleas for activity In politics by
citizens who are not servitors of the oman
ayers of party. The first was from a
voter who may be assumed to be we'll quail
flied to speak Of the malefcent influence
OF such rule The other is from voter
who prefers anonymity, but who is himself
prominent example of neglect of the
duty-doing SO bitterly criticised by the
first. His may be said to be but recital.
IN an odd way, that in the genesis of politi-
cal activity the mass of the voters have
little or no part, since the planning of
oiiice-hlling-and hence of governmental
administrations done for them, or in
despite of them.
The writer of the first letter laws the
premise that the bosses. in both parties
rule; peddle out the Offices fleece candi-
dates; turn loose upon them an army of
ieeches and blaekmailers, and that the peo-
pie at large are simply at their mercy.
Then follows the conclusion that the rem
edy is greater activity, and personal con-
Germ on the part of the file of party strictly
within party lines. That is, attendance on
the primary and the caucus. Indi
dental to this idea sheer at the "myth
civil service reform and non-partisap
efforts to divorce politics from the admin
lstration of municipal government. Both
letters well illustrate the fable of the mice
and the cat. Both want the cat belled.
but they both insist that the mice must do
1t, and thus get step beyond the parable
Now the two columns and more of pro-
test and suggested remedy by these gentle
men, both of whom we know to be sincere,
really do nothing more than probe an old
sore. 1t must be clear to every one who
has given these topics much consideration
that whatever of evil exists in party man.
agement springs from the pdtroaaqe-po,cer
attaching 10 Il. Intrigue must have A mo-
tive. 1t has no vitality whatever that
does not arise out of motive, and the only
motive possible for political intrigue is
reward-personal reward; it NAV be
money or power, or the qualification of
personal pride, or the exaltation. OF. yaaitv.
but still, reward. This intrigue must of
necessity always be inimical to good row
eminent, for the obvious reason that the
aim is not the elevation of the GOV
crnmental plane, but the advancement of
private ends
The conclusion is inevitable remove the
possibility of reward and the motive for
intrigue ceases, and as result 3 boss
rule fails
As Dr. Holland neatly put it /" Civil service
s se.y,n Is an, the plaeilc ontes &!
never be nnrsk' machine. Politics can
nS-;arr, /-y.i!ed a this country until thera is
I'm the civil service Such publication
tl4ekcally impossible until Office CEASES y, he
the re "ard-praeticaily contracted for-for
party service.
We are told, however, that there will be
an end to the evils complained OF. when
the voters attend and rule II the primary
and put in an appearance at the caucus
We will be the last to antagonize the first
suggestion; indeed it has been advanced
these many years and with urgency by the
REcoRD-USIoN, for it is in the direction
ii a great end 20 be attained, and 50 there
is much to hope for in it. Yet We have
no faith in it as a specific, SO long as the
utterly immoral principle obtains ex-
pressed in the doctrine, to the yiesors
belong the spoils.' A great and good
man. reyered among the men Of his day
and this, once said:
The reply 10 the reproach that good men neg
lecf political duty is that no good man can
undertake to have anything TO do with the nri
MARES ;,ns unless he belongs 70 the machine
headed man doubts this. let him try it,
Our correspondents may learn, if they
choose, that the 4bossr system has such
sanctity as there is in the age Of an evil.
As far back as the opening of the century
it existed, and was very much like that of
to-day, as they may ascertain by reference
to the well-known work of Won Hoist.
That writer says of Van Buren,, in 1SlS-la,
collecting faction about him:
His coterie furnished a party basis, in which
the absence Of political ideas was more than
compensated BY mastery organization. The