The record-union., 1897-08-22

ginning place, and, hence. the primary.
which rests upon the hypothesis that
all who have a right to do so attend
the primary-as everyone knows, a no
toriously false assumption. If Mr.
Godl<in could look in upon California
only is it false as to party men, but
that the novelty is frequently present.
ed us of the men of the opposing party
stepping in and doing the voting at the
primaries of their opponents
That fraud should grow out of that
which renders the assumption referred
to false, goes without saying. and this
truth was demonstrated so recently as
1895 in the investigation into the con-
duct of the Republican primaries in the
City of New York The attendance Of
persons at primaries not entitled to
vote at them is not more remarkable
than the abstention from participation
by those who should attend. This non
attendance is due in part to the pres
sure and compleXity cf business in our
time; decreased interest in politics; in
crease of population and of kinds Of
occupations and augmented facilities for
money making, so that it is impossible
for the man of 1897 to feel the same
interest in the working machinery of
his party that was felt by the man
of 1917. An array of statistics by the
fcf &c to ch
third of the enrolled voters of a party
take active part in primary elections.
Up to 1880 men We're mainly occupied
with problems of political freedom; to-
day they are most concerned in domes-
tic comfort and pecuniary independ-
ence.
So for a long time interest in
party politics has been declining, and
it is helped on by the faulty system
of choosing Congressman in November,
who have no influence on legislation or
administration for over a year Then,
one election is as much as the bulk of
citizens in great centers will attend
to. but we have many and frequent
elections. The result is that in cities
the number OF non-attendants at pri-
maries is very great.
Without following other lines of de-
tail our readers will understand how
the conclusion is reached by the essay
list which has been anticipated in our
minds, namely, that the choosing of can
didates has fallen largely into the
hands of an idle class, that either loves
political intrigue or does not look be-
yond the loaves and fishes. Into such
hands largely our political machinery
is committed to give us nominations.
That under such system the primary
should be manipulated, delegations
packed and nominations bought and
sold, is not at all surprising, however
humiliating.
Such a system naturally produces 'the
boss he who directs the operation of
pose and directs its energies. either
for his own greed of power purse gain,
or as the commissioned agent of polit-
ical ambitions of those who wisely re-
frain from being seen in the midst of
the machine work. The whole thing
is based, correctly observes the essay
ist, upon the confidence of those who
conduct it, that whatever the results
the voters will accept them for the
sake Of the party. So We have come
back to the earlier system under less
favorable conditions and with more
than all it's faults.
The machine has attained present
power because of public apathy, and
the latter in turn is due largely to the
former, and so the swing is in vicious
circle, the machine assuming functions
that must be discharged by somebody.
but in discharging them it produces in
difference, or dislike of the work among
the rest of the community.
The essayist attributes to these facts
and we confess to the feeling that he
is very near to the truth-the ''crazes''
that periodically develop, seizing upon
The DODUaStI HllO IDt iAC WOlhilifo vi
reforms and the application of pat
ent nostrums to the body polite; crazes
to work campaigns of edcucation' for
| new-fangled plans for perfection and
attainment of political paradise, as we'll
as genuine and praiseworthy sudden eff
forts to marshal public sentiment the
way it should go. Our educating and
reformatory exertionS should not be
spasmodic and followed by relapses to
worse conditions, but like the English
method be constant in persuasion and
instruction. There the public man. both
before and after Parliament. addresses
the people, and there is a steady de-
bate of public questions among the
British people-it is a part of popular
education.
! If it is said that such work is done
among us through the press, then error
is uttered, says the essayist. Only a
/ few papers are conducted by men equip
ped for such work. and but few ed
itors who are equipped, win undertake
| it. He who does is apt to face a hos
/ tile audience; at least an Indifferent
one. such is the impression among the
people of the ephemeral and superficial
character Of the newspaper We think
he might have gone further and have
added. such is the distruSt of the news
paper among the people because of
snsationalism. grossness, speculative