The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-02-26
INDEPENDENcg in poLIrIcs.
No Indications OF Reform by Ether OF
the GreRt Parties.


No Indications OF Reform by Ethsr OF
the Great Parties.
The result OF the election in New
York. which confirmed by an enor-
nous majority the power OF Tammany
nall and all the forces which it repre-
sents, and prevented the completion
Of the ballot law; the election of Mr..
Crisp as speaker of the house of rep
resentatives by Tammany-Hnl Cor
man combination; the correspondence
between the speaker and Mr. Mills;
and tho appointment OF Mr. Elkins as
secretary OF war; are all illustrations
OF the present false political situation.
1t arises from the fact that the two
great parties do not represent the
chief public issues, says George Will
liam Curtis in Harper's Weekly and
that neither OF them. as party can
be trusted as an agency to secure the
honest government which is an object
transcending all questions of policy.
In this situation the body OF independ-
ent voters is necessarily very large.
SO long as the two pirates retain their
traditional hold and Republicans
and Democrats follow the party
machine, controlled on one side by
leaders like Quay, Platt Clarkson,
Dudley and their comrades, and on
the other by Hill German and Spring
er and Tammany hall, u great multi
tude of voters will be necessarily un-
attached to party and party action will
be determined without regard to weight
of character experience and inteli-
gence which would be of the highest
service to any party.
1t is idle to say that a citizen is
necessarily impotent who does not
Join a party and that he ought to join
it and try to influence It,. Tweed used
to propose to respectable young Dem
ocrats to become members of the Tam.
many machine. But his object was ia
make them stool-pigeons. They were
not to control but to give his
control q respectable air. When q
president thinks that Mr.. Elkins
is the kind OF person who should be
called into the cabinet is it good
time to join the Republican party in
order to secure another kind of cabl-
net officersP When the Democratic
majority in New York declares EN-.
phatically its confidence in Senator
Hill and Tammany Hall and in the
house selects as speaker the repre
sentative OF active opposition to
Democracy OF which Mr.. Cleveland /.
the representative, is it the moment t.
join the party in order to persuade il
TO renounce Tammany leadership
Reform within the party is the merest
chimera. The occasion and necessity
OF reform arise from the fact that the
party, which means its majority /,
going wrong. But so long as thu
party is successful how is the minor
ity to persuade the majority that i
ought to mend its waysP A party il
u body Of men who agree, not whit
disagree, When q voter feels tina
his party needs to be- reformed h,
must procure its defeat and then h,
ceases to be a member OF tte party
There are four questions which ar,
now most prominent and upon which
the great body of independent voter,
agree. They are tariff reform. civil
service reform, sound currency anC
an honest government But there i
no party which stands for these issue
collectively. The Democratic part
processes tariff reform and rejects it
especial representatives.. The Repub
lican party calls itself the party o
honest currency and Republican sen
ators are free silver leaders. Tn
platform OF both parties speak
politely OF civil service reform, ant
the administration Of both discredit
it, Both denounce political corrup
tion and each collects and spends cor
ruptly as much money as it can.
it be the duty Of every citizen to joil
party which party shall he join!
Shall it be the Democratic
which prefers Mr.. Hill anC
Mr.. German and Tammany hal
as its leaders or the Republican whict
Eonors MIR. Elkins and seriously trie
to replace John Sherman by Foraker
1t cannot be said that these are no
the accepted leaders OF the parties
II they are not, who are9 Nobody dc
MES that Mr. Gro ker asserts truthful,
that Tammany h all is the only organ
ization in the ity recognized by tn
Democratic party OF New York, no
that Senator Hill is the actual Dem
ocratic leader in the state. Nor will
anybody deny that Mr. Platt is TN
Republican leader in New York ant
Mr. Quay in Pennsylvania nor tina
the attempt to justify the appointment
OF Mr.. Elkins is an evidence OF decline
in the true standard OF the publi
service.
1t is time when parties do not rep
resent the actual division OF polltica
opinion and when both parties dc
grade the political standard, and 1t Il
therefore u time OF greater politica,
independence than ever.
Keep IL Before the People.
Tba y,,oos NJ tho old M wtiaa fa1an1,