The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-02-20
POLITICAL PLATFORMS.
Parties and Politicians Arraign-
ed-A Plea for Clean
Methods.
CORVALLIS, Feb. "a, 90.

SoKVhl-LIS, leu. LII w.
EDITOR GAZETTE:
AS we approach general cleo
ton the mind naturally reverts
to the cause of, and necessity for
legislation, the character of which
determines our political affilia-
ton.
We may suppose that life
long republican, or lifelong
democrat, will vote the party
ticket without question, the
masses leaving it to party lead
ers to frame the platforms, and
indicate the attitude of their
several parties toward the nation
al and local issues which have to
be met.
This confines the treatment of
national and local issues to COM
paratively a few persons in each
party. At this point, it seems to
me, there is a great danger that
self-interest may be brought in
contact with public interests, and
whenever this occurs public inter
ests are in danger. There are
incorruptible men, and there are
others who can. be reached
through their cupidity OF ambi-
ton. 1t is not often that men
are found who cannot be per-
suaded that things which are
black are not black but only are
not quite pure white, and that,
it being impossible to obtain
pure white, the public interest
demands taking something not
quite purely white. Such men
often, ignorantly, or carelessly,
or blindly, accept what they
think is not pure white, but the
best they think they can get in
the public interests, and in reali-
ty get the blackest kind of cor
ruption through legislation, in
exchange for their birthright,
freeman's vote.
The principal methods by
which the sovereign voters of a
free country can protect them
selves against this danger, are to
support at the head of their par
ties only such men as those who
are wise and honest enough to
avoid the dangers of corruption
or ignorance; and this is we'll
nigh impossible because men go
to the front of their own volition
and not as a choice of the peo-
pie, aid the unerring tendency
of human nature is as we'll
defined in men of great political
energy, as it is in men whose
energy is expended i'll other fields
of labor, and we know the pre-.
ponderance inclines to self-inter-
est; besides political methods, as
too often practiced, gives an
impetus to the natural tendency
that way owing to the deceit,
duplicity and corruption attend
ant on professional political work.
Or the voters must themselves,
comprehend the effect of legisla-
ton and elect men to legislative
Office who will support the plat
forms they are elected upon, and
themselves prepare those plat
forms and see that they contain
the principles which will protect
the interests of all the people and
not simply some favored class
who have been fortunate, or dis
honest enough to command the
influences which can mould a
platform in their interests alone.
1t is plain that no class of inter
ests can have platform framed
to protect themselves regardless
of the interests of all the people,
unless the trainers of the platform
acquiesce in their desires and
vote in state and national conven-
tions to frame their platforms
that way. We find independent
party journals all over the land
protesting against ''ring" ma
chinery. Perhaps there are
political organizations existing
now, and that there have been
such in the past, which are free
lEo1u, ,eorrupting influences in the
matter of platform utterances.
l will not venture to say that all
political organizations are not
free from it for my experience
has been very limited. But one
does not have to actually pass
through convention to under
stand where the platform of a free
and self-governing people has