The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-17
NoN-PARrIsAN CITY OFFICIALS.

The ever re-appearing mugwump de-
mand for the relegation of party in
municipal politics is at the bottom IL
logical, if not superficial and hypocrit-
/ ical. 1t is to build a complete super
/ structure and leave out the most nee
essary thing for permanency, the fOun-
datiOn. Non-partisanShip simply
means non-respOnsibiiity. The adyo-
Gates of nOn-partisan municipal re-
/ form are never found demanding nom
partisanship in national and state af
| fairs. Hon. Edward Lauterbach, in
Gunton's Magazine. most clearly shows
that that is just where these mugwump
wOuld-be reformers fall down. He
says, IF temporary organization re-
CARELESS of political principle is super
ior to permanent organization, based
upon we'll digested principle of public
policy for municipal government, why
is it not equally superior for national
and state affairs? By what rule Of
logic or experience does party organ
ization and well digested political prin-
ciples which are admittedly superior
for state and national affairs, become
inferior TO temporary association, de-
void of political cohesion or accepted
principle in municipal affairs? Mani
testify, if well digeSted principle of pub
lie policy is important in the affairs of
the state and federal government it
is M mr. in he of fair Of
municipalities. For the cities and
towns, the local groups are the nur-
series for the character, intelligence
and opinion out of which state and ma
tiOnal policies are made. State and
national government are but the larger
integratiOns of the local or municipal
group. They are very source of the
national life and character; hence, if
it is important that social principles
Of public policy should obtain any
where, it is most important of all that
they should obtain in municipal poll
ties
Mr.. Lauterbach concludes his mas
terly and unanswerable paper with
some general reflections which cannot
fail of appreciation by every obser-
want man. He makes it plain that the
effort TO segregate municipal politics |
from nation organizations and policy is !
simply to relieve the respectable ele- |
mentS of the national organization !
from the responsibility of insisting up I
on reform within the party that shall |
carry honesty and integrity into mu-
nicipal administrations. Little Won |
der that the respectable people in the |
Democratic party want nOn-partisan-
ship in municipal affairs, especially in
New York. BY that means they are
enabled to escape the responsibility Of
the political degradation and immoral
ity their party is infiicting upon the
The truth is that in ma
tional politics the Democratic party |
has depended for its success upon the
corrupt and dishonest methods that de-
strOy the freedom of voting in the
south; and the fraudulent majOrities
by Tammany in New
loIh lily W ofeTColHe TIE uOHeSG FOte |
Of the state. SO that in reality the
political immortality and social vice, or
ganized and encouraged in the local
administrations has been the chief in
V which the Democratic party
has succeeded to power in the nation.
To relieve the national party of the
responsibility in local politics is to en-
these debauching political
methods. A thorough system of party
responsibility and integrity would COM
pei the Democratic party to purge it
self Of the methods of the Tammanys
and the Hills and the southern coer-
cionists before it could have any re-
spectacle standing in Washington.