St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-28
ON PARTY ORGANIZATION

The old story, with rude Woodcut
showing an old man and his sons, the
latter trying to break a bundle OF rods
which, singly, could be easily broken.
which we older ones recall as feature
of one of our text books in the days of
our youth, contains the germ Of ali Or
CARNATIONS of men for any of the mall
hilarious purposes to accomplish which
they unite their strength aud their eff
forts. TN union there is strength"
A political organization is simply the
aggregation of men who agree Oh some
leading feature of governmental policy,
and consent to unite and use their eff
forts to either secure Its adoption or to
maintain it against attacks when
adopted. This being the only reason
for its existence, the details of its
formation should keep in view always
Its primary. purpose. This is TO inform
its members on the various questions of
party policy and to endeavor to prevail
on others to accept them as right and
sound. The selection of candidates for
offices and their election are means bv
which the policies may be crysiallized in
the law Of the state or nation. They
are merely accessories to the main Dur-
pose, however necessary they may be.
The conception of an organization
should and will depend on the concep-
ton of government the party is designed
TO administer. The prevalent one, COM
moi to one party and too common to
another, is that party is an army with
its commissioned head, to whose
riders implicit obedience must be
given, and whose rank and file have
only TO hear and obey. Hence the FREE
quency of the military terms heard in
comment on political movements. A
man who leaves party is ''deserter :"
he deserts his ''camp" and joins the
enemy" Tom Reed divides parties
into rear guards and van guards, and a
leading candidate or nominee fires
the opening gun" of his Campaign"
and the journals of the parties "opeu
their batteries" on each other and the
enemy" Why the general in command
is not so called. but is termed the boss, is
one of the Inconsistencies Of the phrase
ology Of parties. compensated somewhat
by the frequent appelations OF colonel
and major Or captain.
This is un-Democratic. 1t is also an
entirely false conception of party OF
ganiZation. A Democratic organization
builds itself on the rank and file for its
foundation. 1t admits the absolute and
untrammeled right of the Democrats of
| each locality, each governmental subdi-
Wis Tn or off mi
to suit themselves. 1t admits that any
superstructure should be the voluntary
work of the rank and file. 1t proceeds
OIL the idea that as free consent is the
| condition of membership, ali party
! formations and movements should have
| the free consent of Its members, and
not be imposed on them by all assumed
superior authority. 1t considers that,
however much men may differ about
details, each has right to have his say.
and that the foundations of party can
only be securely built when this is the
case. Dissatisfaction, dissension and
| revolt are sure to follow its denial.
When every member of the party can
feel assured that, whether mis- ideas pre-
vail or not, he has had his opportunity
of expression, then that party is built
OH broad and enduring base.
To insure this the unit of organization
should be the smallest political subdi.
vision of the state-the precinct. To
insure against INSCRIPTIONS practices,
as well as to know what the party
strength is in each unit, there should be
| an enrolment of the voters of the pre-
ciDct, so that In their assemblies none
but those entitled by party utilization
can be present and take part. The unil