The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-03-01
Personal POLITICS.

will add a few lines to what I last
said. Personal politics is the tap root
out of which grows the bulk of our po-
litical corruption, official impotence,
spoil hunting, neglect of the interest of
the people and false hero worship. A
political party ought to be a body of
voters voting together for the time to
advance certain principles defined A
political party now, mainly, is body
of voters bound together for the pur-
pose Of advancing the interests of GER
tain men and classes. If this is not
the main purpose, it is certainly often
the main result. At any rate prlncl
pies are often advanced only as fast as
they consist with the interest of GER
tain men. There is one mob of news
papers that wish to advance the inter
ests of the South only so fast as they
consist with the presidential aspira
tlOns of a certain pot house politician
named D. B Hill. There is another
mob that would retard the issue of
financial reform until it consists with
the political interests Of Grover Cleve
land (and Wall street
What is the matter with such news
papers? They have just simply been
filled up to the throat latch with per
sOnal politics. 1t amounts to q disease
with them. 1t has been burnt into
them by a score of personal campaigns.
They have been made drunk with it's
miasma in a hundred political conven-
tions. Many have had their zeal quick
ened by small dividends of the cam
paign fund. It is no wonder snch a
howl is raised for good organizer"
A good organizer is a good prOvider of
a campaign fund and free distributor
of it.
But how does personal politics get
its main strength? It is by the mar
riage of the interests of countless thou
sands Of office holders and office seek ers
with the principles of the party. The
creation of any new Office with salary
attached Is hailed by organizers with
delight, because it means more infiu-
ence and an additional contribution to
the campaign fund But viewed in
their true light such additiOns do not
bring strength "A An element of
weakness remarked a shrewd politi-
clan to me once when he was trying to
solve the problem OF distributing the
Federal offices in this district. He was
right The next nominating COnven-
ton saw HIM defeated and the next
election saw his successor defeated be
cause of the feuds engenderCd by the
distribution of sp0ils. "Capua was
cannae to Hannibal, y the ancient maxim
was-that is, spoiIs destroyed the army
which destroyed the Romans. The dis
tributiOn Of the pensions and party
patronage has corrupted HankeedOm.
Yet we would follow in the same mad
career. Bus the practical 4ues son
comes up, what is the remedy?' You
CTO7C mon from yyyootjOCs OfGco
and seeking it-in political parties or
out Of them - This they have always
done since the foundation of the world"
No, but this passion like all others must
be made amenable to law-must be
guided in its exercise by some system
or code or custom which will reflect
the sentiments and protect the inter
ests of the people at large. The
remedy as the separation of local
from national politics. Let the cleo
tiOn8 for State and Federal Offices be
an dife' ent months IN different seasons
-yen eUe1l as for as possible IN differ
ent gears! All clerical 0nd ministerial
offices, 1chich are electiUe should Be
totally diUOred from Legislative Offices
This will break up partyism, or at
least the monopoly of partyiem. Con
ventiOns would then be composed of
the friends Of reform and not of the
friends of candidates alone, or mainly.
Delegates sent in the inter ests of
principles will prefer such interests.
Delegates sent in the interests Of per
sons will prefer such persons. Dele
gates sent for one main purpose will
swap and trade and bargain to accom-
pIish it, especially if it IS a selfish one.
Most men in the heat of their agony
for, a friend who may serve them a
good turn will trade off a better
man Or tone down a principle. A con
ventiOn full Of such men may produce
a mOnstrosity both in men and meas
ures. Let the delegates be ever 50 coed
they cannot serve two masters Do
on know how it is that often "black
legs" and small ward politicians are
sent to conventions to the exclu
sion of able and influential students of
government? The black leg and the
ward politician have agreed to prosti-
tute their votes and influence in the
convention to secure some person an
office! They have found out who is
or can be made, by work" the
strongest, and they unite on him. He
unites on them. The question which
they will try in the convention is not
one of principle, for they have covered
up all principle under such vapOry
term as good Democrat" or "good
Republican, which the faithful under
stand, and which may mean anything,
every thing and nothing. They are
sent there to try an issue between two
or more persons perhaps equally quail
fed for Office, and GENERALLY, of course,
neither very we'll qualified. Having
finished the main business of ballot
ivg" they have little time, talent, or
disposition for devising means for re-
Iieving the people. This is Why all the
evils Of which we now complain have
greatly grown and keep growing. This
is why the so-called leaders now
stand aghast and are so ominously