Middletown transcript., 1896-05-23
THE PARTY CESAR.
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II
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= Bribery and corruption are the ga
ve through which The man on horseba
q enters decadent republics The vote IL
simply registers a bargain is the worst fol
le oftyranny. The only vote that il Americ
y is the vote that expresses free conyicti
Z founded on conscience and wrought out
2 reason and intelligence. These are the vot
=; the only votes-that will enable Ameri
= to pursue her manifest destiny and walk
the head of the procession of the nation
I When people cease to have confidence
the fairness of popular elections they wi
no longer sustain popular or representa-,
! government. We will be atthe end of OF
experimentation the deluge The ma
who corrupts the ballot is sapping the four
dations of the State; he pulls down tI
house over his own head; he is traitor t
himself, his country and his God. Let n
such man be trusted.
But what is TO be done2 Nothing? s.
some men are saying. You will remem
Der. some of you, that there used to be
man named ingalls,. from Kansas, VIII,
said: "The Decalogue and the Golden Rul
have no place in political campaign. The
object is success. The publication of poll
tics is an iridescent dream" Meanwhile
politics has been purified of Mr.. Ingall.
himself, for the people concluded that ths
man who had outgrown the Decalogue and
the Golden Rule had outgrown his useful.
ness. They were right. for the man who
does not believe in purity is impure; the
man who does not believe in honesty is
dishonest; the man who does not believe in
| truth is liar. Senator Ingalls, was candid
but mistaken. There is something to be
done. No man need throw up his hands,
and say, I'VE can't help it," If there was
nothing for you and me to do l would not
waste time preaching this sermon. There
is great and effective thing to be done. It
is the application of righteous principles to
the whole matter of politics, and party ties
Render unto this Caesar the things that
are Caesars, and unto God the things that
Gods. Give Caesar all that is legitimately
his. Give him no mere. He has
right to something. He has a proper
place to fill in our economy. and proper
function to discharge. Parties are neces-
sity in Republic. Under any form of re.
preventative government parties are essen
tial to the marshaling and expression of
public opinion. And parties being neces-
sary, there must be rules for their govern
ment, and leaders to represent and direct
them. In his proper place this Caesar is no
Caesar. but an indispensable and beneficient
agency. When he forgets his plac. and be-
comes dictator, without principles. then
he becomes menace to the righteous
and public nuisance. When party pro-
fessions of faith become empty and mean
ingless; where party leaders are ready to
adopt any shibboleth that will win; when
loyalty to man lakes the place of loyalty |
to the idea he is supposed to represent; |
when the immediate success of the party, |
or OF the party leader, is put before the |
welfare Of the country; when
men are denied access to primary elections,
unless they will stultify their manhood by
pledging allegiance to ticket in advance
Of its ation, then the time has come
% 60 back to first principles, and ask, each
nan for himself, "What is party, and
What is my duty to it?" Joseph Cook says:
When you are in a fog, mind your defini-
ions." If / am not mistaken the time has
ome for definitions. l submit few for
'our consideration:
l. A party is simply part OF the people,
Ield together in support of the same or
losely related principles It is my agent
n government. I do not belong to it
ather, or more rightly, it belongs to me,
s being the representative of my opinion,
be incarnation in it, and have right to
issolye the partnership at my pleasure.
l have no convictions can really have
o part If the party has no convictions,
no true principles back of it, it degener-
les into faction, and a faction is curse =
lstead of blessing to the State. owe it
o allegiance.
2. A party is not an end in ITSELF but b
eans to an end. 1t is one of the means C
'ed by the people in working out their Ii
cal in government. When it ceases to be t
! agency In securing better government, t
i'd sets itself up as an end to be labored I
r, it becomes, not power leading on to II
fer and purer government. but brake o
the car of human progress. Take off II
e brake. Y
2. That is good party which seeks good il
ds by proper means. b
4. That is bad party which seeks good.| a.
ds by bad means, or evil ends by any it
cans. r
5. Party allegiance is zeal or enthusiasm u
: one party as against another :,
). Party allegiance as zeal for good and !,
'rthy purpose, sought to be accomplished :,
Ultimately by means Of u party, is proper +.
d to be commended. :,
I. Party allegiance as zeal for party's 4;
ze, or for money, or personal advantage. J.
for selfish or vicious aims through party a,
umph, is wrong and to be condemenel. 40
party should be perpetuatei only for the y,
ID it proposes to do. When it ceases to ~
q power for good; when 1t refuses to meet :,
wants of the hour; wheE it does not rise h.
q just appreciation of public needs for :,
,e policies, its work is done and it should
put aside: A party that does not repre- a.
t some righteous principle or tendency ~
, no just claim upon any votsr. Properly :; {;
aerstood there is no such thing as party :
hout principle. When IL ceases to ad- e. e.
:ate some principle, when it becomes the -
re personal following Of some political -.
der, it becomes a faction. and factions a. a.
essentially selfish and harmful. Then - -
$ simply party gone TO seed-a party - -
icted with dry rot. Then no man owes -.
oyalty or respect. =.
'hese definitions, or primary principles,
! help us, think. to determine what q
ty really is and just what belongs to
sar or ones party. They should help us {
ieeide how far man, and especially a
istfan man. can go IN its support But
can determine our duty better still when =
understand what belongs to and Is due
n US to God. What, then. In public life.
in political relations, do we owe to