Middletown transcript., 1895-09-21
PRACTICAL POLITICS.

politicians are corrupt and that all
politics is corruptiIg. That is net
correct. There are as honest men in
terested in politics as in any other pur-
suit. And every honest man should
he interested in politics. What is
politics? 1t is primarily the science
or the art of government, or the ad-
ministration Of national or public
|. affairs, and secondarily the conduct of
political parties. Certainly the best
men in the nation under this definition,
and it is the correct one, should become
politicians. Nor need they become
corrupt, nor dishonest. That there
are dishonest and corrupt men en-
gagged in politics as profession goes
without the saying, and so are there
devils incarnate who stand in the
sacred desk Sabbath after Sabbath and
profane the religion of the lowly
Nazarine, but because such men are
hypocrites, wolves in sleeps clothing,
it proves nothing against the piety and
sincerity of the true followers Of
Christ. That man is fool who denies
the integrity of all because one proves
false. In great measure the partisan
press of the country is responsible for
the low estimate put by the people
upon the patriotism of politicians.
The opposition party press decries
every act of the leaders of the ether
party and hesitates not to question
their sincerity and their honesty. Its
object is to gain temporary advan-
tage which being passed it is ready to
laud to the skies the very men it has
denounced. This is not true of all
newspapers, but of the partisan press
and every one reads after that press
more or less, and opinions are conse-
quently more or less biased by such
reading. Who does not recall the
partisan abuse heaped upon that man
of broad views and distinctly Ameri-
can principles, James G. Blaine, when
in 1884 he was candidate for the
presidency? Aud it is easy to re-
member the laudations of the same
press when seven short years thereafter
mourning country gathered around
his bier. Every one acknowledged
that great man had fallen, that a.
true American Statesman, had been
gathered to his fathers. This lesson
is srepeated every year and almost every
month in the year with subjects less
prominent but none the less represen-
tation of maligned class Of citizens.
The truthfulness of this statement
should make every reader more eau
tious of accepting the accusations
against politicians. The truth is bad
enough, and the truth should be told,
but because a statement suits ones
political belief should be no reason that
it's correctness may not be called in
question. The lesson is to consider
the matter judiciously and to come to
an unbiased conclusion.
But politics to be effective must be
practical. Leaders are necessary in
politics as in every thing else and oc-
casionally leader becomes so strong
that he forgets the source Of his au-
thority and becomes boss. Then he
should be put down by the people, all |
so called bosses are not such, however.
1t may please a partisan press to SO
style them during campaign. But
some leaders become bosses and strange
to say the opposition party press is the |
first to make the discovery. The Re-
publican press of the country long
since learned that Croker, and Cor
man, and Brice are bosses, while the |
Democratic papers, with few excep-
tions, are ignorant of that matter, On |
the other hand the Democratic editors
have discovered that Platt, and Quay,
and host of other Republicans, are
bosses, and with all their efforts they
cannot impress their views upon their
party opponents. The truth is that
both sides are right, more or less, and
yet both are dishonest. The partisan
press will condemn wrong in a party
opponent and defend it, at least with
silence, in party associate. This is
why there is so much that is to be con-
demned in practical politics. Bad
men are defended and excused by their
party associates when they should be
reproved and punished. Yet with it
all there is much honesty in politics
and a host of honest politicians. and
honorable statesmen.
And in the long run honest politics
pays. The most practical politics is
honest politics. We believe in the in
tegrity of the American people, in
their ability to perpetuate this govern
ment, and that at heart they are with
the truthful and straightforward poll {
tician. To make home application,
we believe that had the Republican
leaders in this State, all of them, been
honestly in favor of reforms in the |
State government, for Constitutional $
Convention, the people would have I
put the party in full power long since, S
notwithstanding the assessment and
DISTINGUISHING laws that have stood
for quarter of a century against a ,
free ballot in this State. But some of
the leaders were not honest. They f
'aid, practically, let us not promise '
200 much, let us fool the people, and I
'nce getting control, we will show the a
'nemy the tyrrany of their laws. This n
vas true of only few but those few
we're men of influence and the op-