The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-08-07
BoLTEas AND VOTING.


voice of God" the Lord Almighty is
evidently very much dissatisfied with
the political affairs of this country.
| From the fact that His will is omni-
potent we infer that His interest ends
with the such dissatisfaction, other
| wise there would he a marked i'm
proyement in the situation. As for
the real controlling influence it looks
as if his Satanic majesty was playing
the principal hand. This latter fact
no doubt accounts for the threatening
| attitude Of both the VoX PoDuli and
the VOx Del If we were called upon
! to diagnose the trouble we would have
| no hesitancy in pronouncing it a case
| of double compound fracture of ring
| trickism and combine-bossism, the at
tendant sequel being manifest in a
temperature which in threatening to
''do up the patient will surely kill the
DOCTOR That the patient will survive
there is no kind of doubt As for rhe
doctor the signs are not assuring. Ma
tional. state, congressional, judicial
and county conventions are little bet
ter than fractional mobs which go to
pieces in sectional bolts, while prim
aries must become the opponents OF
individual interests and the CONSERVE
tors Of coteries or otherwise fatten out
in disintegration and failure. Plat
forms where not mere re-enuncia tons
Of state platitudes are held to be revo-
lutionary or anarchishc.
There is unquestioned unrest and dis
trust in all parties and everywhere.
The demand of the hour seems to be
for honesty, for real sincerity upon
the part OF public men. There is too
much hedging, too much of hiding of
real convictions, too much plastering
over Of rotten spots, and a dearth of
open frankness upon the part Of both
writers and speakers. There is de-
mand, it's a tremendous demand. that
ard-heeling. convention intriguing,
and legislative manipulation be done
away with A platform must mean
principle, or it will mean nothing.
When party represents only the per-
sOnal ambitions OF individuals and Of
citizens it will cease TO be and go to
pieces The unrest of the people, the
rupture of political parties and organ
izations, comes of distrust, comes Of a
lack of faith in the pretentions and
promises of the politician. There is
widespread, if not almost universal
demand among the people that the sen
ator and congressman, that the execu-
tive, the legislative and the official Of
every character shall make good his
ante-election promises without apol-
ogy, subterfuge or explanation
Spread-eagle speeches Of country and
patriotism, of love for the flag and
constitution, no longer mean any
thing. What the people want is open
handed honesty, from the ward and
township primary TO the highest or
ganization. Long and patiently have
the people Of all parties submitted to
the rule Of the big ring through the
little ring; for long years have they
rallied to the beat Of the campaign
tomtom and the torchlight, and have
marched up In unwavering lines to
the ballot box. only TO execute the will |
of the boss. the bOssee and the long |
descending string Of strikers. But |
the last feather has been added, the |
thing is played out or otherwise the
signs of the times are deceptive.
A party is a political family. I'm
united or inharmonious the principles |
for which it stands fail in defeat. A
few self-selected individuals Of a polit- |
ical family can no longer secretly fix
things and then hope that the body of |
the party.-held by the fixers to be I'M
worthy of conference.-the carry out |
the lock-and-key arrangement of some
secret darkroom circle. The men who |
are going to succeed politically in this
country in the future are the men who |
will openly speak and honestly act.