People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-04-18
THE PARTY SPIRIT.
ITS DREADFUL EFFECTS IN
GOVERNMENT.
Washington and Lincoln Utter Notes OF
Warnlng-"f Ye Bite and Devour
One Another Take Heed That Ye BE
Not Consumed One of Another"

gated in few hands, and liberty de-
stroyed."
The immortal Washington, in his
farewell address, uttered the following
warning:
Il have already intimated to you
the danger of parties in the state, with
particular reference to the founding OF
them upon geographical discrimina-
tons. Let me now take a more COM
prehensive view, and warn you, in the
most solemn manner, against the bane-
full effects of the spirit of party gener-
ally.
This spirit, unfortunately, is insep-
arabic from our nature, having its root
in the strongest passions of the human
mind. 1t exists in different shapes in
all governments, more or less stifed,
controlled or depressed; but in those of
the popular form it is seen in its great
est rankness, and is truly their worst
enemy.
THE alternate domination of one fac
ton over another, sharpened by the
spirit of revenge, natural to party dis
sension, which, in different ages and
countries, is itself a frightful despot-
ism. But this leads at length to a
more formal and permanent despotism.
The disorders and miseries which re-
suit gradually incline the minds of men
to seek security and repose in the abso-
lutte power of an individual, and, sooner
or later, the chief of some prevailing
faction, more able or more fortunate
than his competitors, turns this dispo-
sition to the purposes of his own eleva-
ton on the ruins of the public liberty.
Without looking forward to an ex-
tremity of this kind (which, neverthe-
less, ought not to be entirely out of
sight, the common and continual mis-
chiefs of the spirit of party are suffi-
cient to make it the interest and the
duty of a wise people to discourage and
restrain it. 1t serves, always, to dis
tract the public councils, and enfeeble
the public administration. 1t agitates
the community with ill-founded jeal-
ousies and false alarms; kindles the an
;mOsities of one part against another
foments occasional riot and insurrec-
ton. 1t opens the door to foreign in
luence and corruption, which finds
facilitated access to the government it.
self, through the channels of party
passion. Thus the policy and will of
one ccsntry are subject to the policy
and will of another"
We have today in this country a des-
potism, and that despotism could never
have gained foothold had ii not been
for the intense party spirit prevailing
Men have almost gone wild in support
of this party, or in opposing that one
They have not stopped so much to in
quire whether the candidate was a good
or a bad man, or what party he be-
lOnged to. Men have boosted, and do
boast, of having never scratched a
ticket" Poor souls, they do not realize
that such servility is no credit to their
manhood. A Democrat or Republican
may be anything-believe anything
he will only vote the ticket. A man
may use any methods to secure a nom
nation. If he gets it the party spirit
will carry him through. Having prac-
ticed deception and acted dishonesty
to secure his nomination and election,
he will naturally be dishonest after he
is elected. Thus the tendency is to
fraud and corruption. A premium is
placed upon dishonesty. The best wire
worker gets the nomination, and as a
nomination is equivalent to election
he gets the office. An honest man will
not stoop to such methods. Each man
runs, not so much on the strength of
his merits, but of his party. I'm a
Democrat" or I'm Republican, I'm
the nominee of my party" Then begins
the tanning Of the party spirit. Brass
bands are hired. Torches are lighted.
and the march to the devil goes on. All
this . anti-democratic. The free man
is the Independent man. The grand
mantle PATRIOTS the one that
raises above the low plane of partisan
spirit and casts his vote for the good
of his country without regard to party.
The party boss is an excresence on our
civilization. He is a parasite on M
manity. He is a part of the machine
which is carrying this government to
the devil. He subsists on his ability
to keep alive the party spirit and excite
and infame the passions of men. He
always appeals to their prejudices-
never to their reason. James Russell
Lowell, speaking of political bosses.
says:
Gould we only have a travelling ex-
hibition of our bosses and say to the
American people, Behold the shapers
of your national destinyr A single
despot would be cheaper and better
looking. 1t is admitted on all hands
that matters have been growing worse
and worse for the last twenty years,
as it is the nature of evil to do. It is
publicly asserted that admission to the
senate Of the United States is a market
able thing. 1t is notorious
that important elections are decided BY
votes bought with money, or by the
more mischievous equivalent of money,
places in the public service.
"What IL even moro dichaortar;rc