The morning call., 1894-09-27
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF COM
NONSENSE.

The bosses can make nominations, but
there is one thing which they cannot do,
and that is t. make people vote the way
they want. Add the vote which Buckley
controls 10 the vote which Burns controls,
and the product con titutes a small pro-
portion of the total vote of the city, In
order to win with two tickets in the field
one or the other boss must get the votes of
twenty-four or twenty-five thousand ci,i-
zens who are not owned by the bosses or
indebted to them in any way, manner CT
shape whatever. Why should these
tweDty-four or twenty-five thousand citi-
zens vote deibera tely with their eyes open
in favor of government which they know
will be bad in preference to government
which may be good?
The whole issue les in the hands of the
people who will be injured by bad govern
ment and benefited by good government.
1t Is useless t. complain of bosses wien
the people by inactiOn clothe the bosses
with power and can at a word reduce
them 10 nothingness. The bosses are the
creatures Of the voters who lift them into
power. To rail at them. and to ignore the
citizens who give them their votes, is to
initiate the African monarch who broke
his thermometer to reduce the heat of the
sun.
1t must be supposed that all citizens of
San Francisco-except, perhaps, i've or
SIX thousand professional politicians. bal
lot-bnx suffers. shoul1er-hitters, kid-giove
bribers, vagabonds who want to live in
idleness on the pluuder Of taxpayers-want
a clean government, with reasonable tax
levy, an honest expenditure of municipal
money. pure judiciary, and a cessation
of bribery and jobbery at the City Hall.
They have the power to get these things
by casting their ballot for the right candi-
dates in November. Why should there be
any doubt that they will do so?
The answer to the conundrum is that
two parties, divided on questions of ma
tional politics. have enrolled the voters in
their ranks, and that these, voters will
knowingly vote for candidates who are
opposed to clean government. economical
admin istration, a pure Judiciary, honest
officials and an incorruptible Board of
Supervisors, because they are sound on
the question of alleged revenue reform
and silver. 1t is pretty hard to reconcile
this proposition with the theory that
voters are possessed of ordinary inteli-
gence. 1t assumes a degree of mental
obliQuity of which the population of San
Francisco has not been suspected. 1t
argues that voters are fools, equally indif-
ferent to prnci. le and to their own in
terest.
Weare told that the bosses control the vot-
ing machinery so completely that they can
not be Overthrown. What utter nonsense
this is. There is no party machinery that
can stand for day against public opinion.
The most elaborate machine Is mere cob
web when the will of the people is against
1t. There never was a more perfect ma
chine than the one which undertook to
make FOlger Governor of New York; the
people were not so minded, and the ma
chine was showed under by 195. 600 jor-
ity. In this city the two political machines
are fiimsy rattetraps which threaten to 90
to pieces whenever the trade wind blows.
A machine Is powerful when it is the out
ward and visible sign of an inv ward and
spiritual principle; when it is merely the
expression of a scramble for Office any
stalwart voter can push it over with a
thrust of his finger.
We are told again that the return TO
common-sense methods, which has taken
shape in the organization of the Non
Partisans, comes too late 10 the cam paign.
How long, then, should 1t take a man to
decide that he would rather not be robbed
by combination of knavish politicians?
Does 1t require six months or year to
bring that home to the prospective victim
of the robbery? 1t is never too late TO
drive the knife into the windriff of the
hold-up whose clutch is on the honest
mans throat. A month, week, is more
time than is needed to convince taxpayers
that they ought not to submit to be robbed
in the old way. An hour is ample. In
in which difficult problems Of
political science are 10 be discussed time is
essential to conduct the education of voters.
But now, when the question is merely
whether the city shall be handed over to
one or another party of bandits, each bent
on the same old game of plumber, by
the same old methods. no education is re-
CURED. and it is never too late to organize
for self.defense.