The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-25
Nox-r1nr1sAxs BAD OFFICIALS.
why the CITY should ne Intrusted - lone or
the other or the Great Parties.

~ SNAS " NV
A. b. Cruikshank, q Brooklyn lawyer and the
ex-candidato Of the United Democracy Tor tho
Mayoralty Of Greater New York, told the Brook
lyn Philosophical Association yesterday after
noon why We should have a partisan munich
pal Government.
I'VE arc told" said Mr.. Cruikshank, that
the great parties cannot give good government
10 a municipality. 1t cannot DO because tho
city Is too small, for It he's as many people and
a larger expenditure than these United states
had after the Revolutionary wal. IL cannot be
that the city is too large, for II q party can
run tho Federal Government II can surely run a
municipal Government.
"A democratic government should DO q
government by the majority, and politics Is
really only the cndeavor by any party to get
that majority. An ideal democratic govern
ment has only two parties, the one that of the
administration, tho other that OF tho opposi.
ton. When you don't like a party 1t Is easy
enough TO turn 1t out. THAT the Republican
party was kept in power for nearly q genera.
tion,during wal, and reconstruction was q proof
pie and that it suited their requirements.
another reason againsts@non. partisan gov.
end:are living forces whose activity you can.
not suspend at will. The pcoplo insist on hay:
ing, candidates with whom they are acquainted
prominent in parties have this valuable equip
ments TOO" continued Mr.; Cruikshank, solemn
man has ever sold his party out and when.
Municipal interests are 80 different from
human human int HsiT: ssy is sN capable n a OF de"iing with
many different questions. There Is the posi-.
o oi1iy of poor appointments; goes @r on the non,
~pointments are noticeably poor, and we have
very. good civil service laws to regulate APP
pointmcnts, anyhow. business administrl.
lion, again says the non, partisan. 1t doesn't
take any different or better business qualities
to feed the army or deal with the taritf. deny
mat IT Is a mere matter of money, anyhow.
There Is Just, as much need of humanity,
patriotism. and love of liberty i'll n municipal
US i'll a national election.
"A great many of these people who are now
clamoring for non partisanship are people who
consider themselves too good for politics and
who never vote ut state and national elections.
They say that there i so much that is disagree
able in politics that they don't want to mix in
II. They are like tho messenger who said
to Hotspur, I'd love TO be II soldier IL it wasn't
as these non-partisans do we might hand over
the Government TO thieves and thugs. When
n man Is not recognized by his party it is be-
cause he has not worked for it. The man who
works the year around gets tho place. not the
man who comes around in October with silly
suggestions.
"A non.partisan administration can never be
n homogeneous one, for 1t cannot, like a party,
tant in a business administration. Its mem.
bers arc generally picked up from one party
and And. An IGa Gs, and sn after spI they Are in np power ,Nsr they
gets absolute power to make his own appoint
ments, you have a still worse state, for then you
have an autocracy. An autocracy by accident.
i call ii, for it is never the result Of n majority
vote. and the autorrat, finding himself rcspon-
sible to no party, will do as he pleases. A can
didatc who is elected by n minority is very apt
to use his power to feather his own nest. Politi-
cal parties with delegates selected at primaries
and meeting in convention are absolutely neces-
sary for the good government OF Greater New
York.
Mr.. Cruikshank was asked II he had really
withdrawn from the Mayoralty contest. My
party has withdrawn me-" was his answer.