The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-29
STUDY POLITICS.

In the course ot one of his lectures which
hs Is now delivering through the country
ex-senator INGALLS, says: Every man
should be q politician, not in its narrow
sense of seeker after office, but every
man, and every woman, too, should take
an active hand in politics. The people get
just as good government as they deserve
There are more good than bad men, but I
regret to say there is disposition to sheer
at the vulgarity of politics and try to keep
aloof from 1t. A man should be partisan.
Next to hide-bound Republican l like a
red-hot Democrat. l always admitted that
there were some bad men in the Republi-
can party; not many perhaps, but few. 1
have also admitted that there might be good
men in the Democratic party; not many
perhaps, but few.''
Too many people entertain an erroneous
Idea of politics, as to the honesty of the
business; and again, there are far too MANY
who think the matter does not concern
them individually, hence they take no in
terest IN 1t. We know what that pegli
gence is here in Utah. At almost every
election it takes much drumming. first to
induce the people to do those things which
the laws have prescribed as essential pre-
llmlnaries to voting, and then it REQUIRES
any amount of hammeriug away and coax
ing to get the voters to the polls. 1t is not
because the people do not want good govern
ment; 1t is not because they are Indifferent
as to whether good or bad men get into
office; 1t is due partly to a disposition to-
wards negligence, and largely to the belief
that others will attend to the business. In
dlvlduals do not think action on their part
is at all nesessary. Nor is this indifference
restricted to the less intellectual. the
less enterprising members of society. In
proportion to mum bers it is probably true
that more business men-merchants. bank
ers and men OF affairs-avoid active par
tlcipation in political matters than any
other class.
In his address before ths business mems
political club in New York on Tuesday,
evening, as briefly noted in THE HER.LD,s
dispatches, Ex-President CLEvE1,ANn
called attention 10 this very neglect and
urged business men to take greateS interest
in politics. He said it would be a good
thing II more OF them would accept office
and take part in the management of public
affairs.
There is difference between politics and
offioe-seeking; between politics and dema-
gogism. The politician is not necessarily
demagogue nor a corruptionist. 1t does
not follow because a man advocates the
principles of party he is a scoundrel in
the esteem of all others than members of
that party. While good many make
politics and office seeking profession and
in the pursuit do things which are con-
demned by the moral code, our ablest and
best politicians are among the purest and
most patriotic of citizens. They labor for
good government, aud bring their
influence to bear to that end. It
is patriotism with them more than
desire to reap personal reward. 1t is
their kind of politics which INGALLS, and
CLEVELAND urge men to engage in and
practice, the politics which induces to the
study of the science of government, and
the performance by the individual of the
duty which every man owes to the state of
doing his share towards inaugurating and
maintaining the best possible administra
ton of public affairs.
We have sometimes thought and others
have advocated, that punishment should
be imposed upon the citizen who refuses to
become politician in the better sense of
the word; that is TO say, on the man who
does not participate in the primaries and
nominating conventions and will not 90 to
the polls and vote. If this were done bet
ter men would be placed in office and the
power of the professional politicians.
the fellows VINO are in politics for what
there is in it for themselves, would be
broken.
The HERALD wishes it could say that
every voter in Utah was politician: that
every citizen understood the science of poll
tics and was enough of man to actively
participate in political affairs.