The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-06-03
GOVERNMENT TOO EXPENSIVE

| The Tennessee Industrial Convention,
held in Nashville the other day, empha-
sizes beyond dispute, among other
things, that the people of this State are
becoming restive under the old order of
things which has made such govern
ment as we have entirely too expensive.
Tennessee has been ruled and well nigh
ruined by submitting to the dominance
of a class of professional politicians
who, by hook and crook, have managed
to keep the SosOm of their breeches in
official chairs while their hands were
thrust, elbow deep, into the public treas
ury. Office-holding has come to be the
most profitable enterprise in the State.
No other industry Yields anything like
the returns. No civic or commercial
venture is half so alluring, and when a
young man can ingratiate himself into
the good favors of the public, or a sec.
tion of it, sufficiently large to entitle
him to consideration at the hands Of
the bosses, he can walk up courageously
and demand a divide, with the full as
surance that he will get it. Office-hold-
ing being the chief industry of the
State, it follows, naturally, that all leg.
islation is shaped, formulated and
enacted in the interest of the office
holding class. People go through the
form of electing legislators every two
years and sending them to Nashville.
When a law is proposed by member
who has an intelligent conception of
his duty and who has the real interests
of the people at heart, he cannot hope
to have it passed if it trenches in the
slightest degree upon the interests of
the office-holders. The last legislature
contained a number of members that
were independent of office-holding in
fuences and who sought to do their
duty. In this element Shelby county
had her quota. But it was noticeable
when any bill was up that in any way
interfered with official emoluments that
the long distance telephones and the
telegraph wires were instantly called
into requisition, and from every section
of the State office-holders assembled
and used their influence to modify or
defeat the measure. No one should
blame the office-holders for doing what
is to their best interests; people who
are prudent do this in every sphere of
life. What is necessary is that strong
public sentiment be built up that will
strengthen the hands of such legisla.
tors as are anxious and earnest in their
efforts to serve the whole people and
not merely one class of people. And
this sentiment is growing, and growing
fast. Democrats, Republicans and Popu-
lites are beginning 70 have their eyes
opened, and they are discovering that
as good citizens they are equally inter
ested in the welfare of the State. They
are taxed the same and made to pay the
same. Laws that are onerous to one
are onerous to all Laws that benefit
the Democrat in his capacity of citizen
and taxpayer benefit the Republican
and POpulite as well. Laws that are
detrimental to the Populite are equally
publican. A more general understand
ing and appreciation of these facts OBJ
taiDs, and the taxpayer of every party
and of no party feels that more of his
money is being taken from him than
should be taken, and that the money he
pays into the public Golfers is unwisely
and improperly expended. The tax
payer in Tennessee, while heavily taxed,
sees nothing for it excepting prosperous
office-holders. No results; no progress;
no encouragement; no provisions made
to meet the mountainous bonded in
debtedness falling due in a few years.
Mismanagement, waste, reclllessness.
The people are fast learning the condi-
tiOn of affairs, and the politicians must
learn. If they do not, they will be re-
tired. Business methods must more and
more supplant political methods. Sound
sense must be permitted to as
sert itself and the combinations of poll
ticians broken up and the Vaccinations
of politicians circumvented.-M
Commercial Appeal.