Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1889-06-28
The People Against the Politicians.
BY PRoF. LEE DAVIS LODGE, A. M.

A democracy, pure and simple, as the
word itself, derived from the Greek demos,
the people, and cratein, to rule, implies, is a
body polite in which the people, assembled
in sovereign council, decide for themselves
directly all measures of public policy. A re-
public, on the contrary, is state in which
the people rule, not directly, but through
democracy. The United States are sister
hood Of democratic republics.
The American system, by which the peo
pies will, often perverse from passion and
prejudice, is distilled into equitable legisla-
ton in its passage through the alembic of
our representatives minds, is well nigh per-
feet in theory. Certainly the functional &C
tivity of the people is sufficiently circum-
scribed. Many and massive breakwaters
have our fathers built to safeguard our in
situations from those storms which some
times lash the sea OF popular feeling into
fury, and threaten to inundate and devas-
tate the land.
But now the danger that contronts our
country is not that the people will be I'M
wise so much as that the peoples represent
atives will be untrue. Glaring examples of
the betrayal of trust are constantly thrust
upon our attention. We elect men to be
public servants; they try to transform them
selves into Caesars. We choose them to reg
lister our wills; they respond by debasing
the ballot and debauching the public SER
vice. We station sentinels to protect the
peoples treasury; those very men become
adopts in the art of plundering. GUS c,st0
dict ipS0s cttst0tless "Who shall guard the
guards themselves ?" This is the question
which we, the people of the United States,
are called upon to answer now, In more
than one of our States great battle is pend
ing between the people on the one side and
politicians on the other.
A struggle OF this character is imminent
in Maryland. The people Of our State fond
ly love the Democratic party. They believe
in its principles, they are proud Of its his
tory, they would follow It's flag as loyalty
| in the gloom of defeat as in the sunshine of
prosperity. But they are tired of being
ruled by an oligarchy OF professional poll
ticians; they are tired of being treated like
sheep whose highest use is to be shorn; they
rise up in revolt against ringrule; they re-
| pudiate the dictation of tricksters; they re-
fuse TO longer bend their backs to the bur.
| dens of the bosses. This is the true expla
nation of that feeling of disafection and dis
content which pervades our party to great.
er or less degree in all parts OF the State
1t is worse than folly to deny the existence
Of any dissatisfaction. The deep mutter-
ings Of mutiny in the ranks are not to be
drowned by the shouting of empty sEb
boleths or the noisy beating of the bosss
tom'tom. This protest against the despot-
ism OF Democratic politicians comes not
from the croakers and cranks who, though
they loudly complain OF the corruption in
! politics, yet sit at home in sinful sloth Civ.
| ing vent TO the impotent vaporings of u bill.
ious pessimism when they ought to be doing
their duty for God and native land at the
polls. Mol nor does it come from sore
headed kickers who would cloak their per
sonal spleen under snowy display of zeal
for the welfare of the State-nor is the pro.
test, as some suppose, the voice of Repub-
lican pick pockets crying stop theft" to
distract attention from themselves The
call for reform comes from none of these
classes, but from intelligent, conservative,
patriotic members of the Democratic party
many of them veterans who have wrought
FOR years to build up its power and fought
full many time beneath its banners way
ing folds,
The Baltimore Sun thus tersey sums up
the situation:
docs any one suppose that those who are
even now being canvassed as available and
suitable candidates for the various places to
| be filled are regarded from public or
party standpoint? That their honorable
| party service or their superior qualifications
for the offices are considered in any primary
| or proper sense? Not at all. In general
way it may be said that Of course a man
who is to be nominated by the Democratic
party must be Democrat and possess some
semblance at least of fitness for the Office
But with those whose mission it seems TO be
to select these individuals the first and last
and only consideration is, Are they LOYAL
to me-will they do my bidding ?" and un.
less satisfied upon this point there is the end
| of it, The selections once made the work
OF organization goes on, and the superior
being who is willing to exchange his indie
| pendence and integrity for the smile of a
boss rs doomed among the faithful, so that
/ by the time the convention meets the dis
ciplined force on one side carries the day
against the raw levies that would ordain
otherwise II they could. Then the lash is
| applied and the candidate must be support
ed for the good OF the party"
Now who are the real rulers? Who but
these bosses? What has become of the
sovereignty of the peopley What voice
have they in the selection of their servants ,
Who can discover in such plan of pro.
cedure u single vestige Of democratic r.
publicanism?
Ii, then, there is real ground for CON
plant; if the political mechanism Of our
State is more or less under the control Of
arrogant bosses who dictate the appoint
ment and election of officials, dominear cgnf
the people, disregard the public interest,
and run things as they please and for their
own personal profit; if, in short, there is
danger lest our government shall cease 10
be government 'of the people, by the peo-
pie and for the people" and shall become a
government of the bosses, by the bosses and
for the bosses; il this be all true, what are
We, the people, going to do about il