The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-08
GOVERNMENT BY PARTIES.

Mr.. Lands, in his speech against the
civil-service law, said the greatest objec-
ton he had to it was that it discredits
party politics. Il believe in party politics,
he said. "They are the standing armies of
peace in a republican form of government.
They are our Nations surest defense and
protection against fads and crazes and po-
litical Mysteries" The Journal is in full
accord with this statement, and much
stronger one might be made of the benefits
of political parties without exceeding the
truth. They are necessary as a watch and
check upon each other, necessary for the
attrition of ideas among the people, neces-
sary to prevent stagnation, as necessary to
the body polite as the circulation of blood
in the natural body-in fact, they are in
dispensable to free government. But it does
not follow that a civil service based on the
merit system and competitive examinations
for entrance in the service are fatal to po-
litical parties. The Journal does not agree
with Mr.. Lands that the civl-service law
"discredits party politics" What it dis
credits is making all government offices the
spoils of politics. To the Journal it seems
that the error of Mr.. Lands and those who
share his view is in assuming that political
parties cannot exist, or at least cannot
be expected to keep up a healthful degree
of activity, without the spur of spoils If
the Journal believed that it would despair
of the Republic. The true theory of repub-
lcan government is that the qualified vot-
ers of the country are sufficiently patriotic
and interested in good government and pub
lie affairs to vote according to their po-
ltical convictions without any other in
centive than that of exercising the highest
right of a free man and discharging a duty
of good citizenship. If that motive, added
to the natural disposition of men to differ
on public questions, is not sufficient to
make men take an interest in politics, then
the fundamental theory of republican gov
eminent falls to the ground and republic
an government itself must fail The idea
that political parties can only be main
tanned and an interest in politics kept alive
by setting up the government offices as
political spells or prizes to be fought for
like purse at prize fight seems to be a
very wide departure from the true theory of
republican government. Washington was
saw time when party spirit might become
dangerous. In his farewell address he said:
This spirit. unfortunately, is inseparable
from our nature, having its root in the
strongest passions of the human mind. 1t
exists under different shapes in all govern
ments, more or less stif1ed, controlled or
repressed but in those of the popular form
it is seen III its greatest rankneSs and is
truly their worst enemy. There is
an opinion that parties in free countries are
useful checks upon the administration of
the government, and serve to keep alive the
spirit of liberty. This within certain limits
monarchical cast patriotism may look with
Indulgence, If not with favor, upon the
spirit of party. But in those of the popular
character in governments purely elective it
is spirit not to be encouraged. From their
natural tendency it IS certain there will al
ways be enough of that spirit for every
Salutary purpose, and there being constant
danger of excess, the effort ought to be by
force of public opinion to mitigate and as
suage 1t. A fire not to be quenched, it de-
mands uniform vigilance to prevent its
bursting into flame, lest, instead of
warming, it should consume.
1t cannot be possible that the man who
wrote this would have regarded with favor
a proposition to make several hundred
thousand offices an incentive to party spirit
by setting them up as prize to be fought
for every four years The founders of the
government dealt with principles not with
spoils. Political parties had their origin in
a disagreement concerning principles and
policies, and it was a long time before the
demoralizing doctrine ITO the victors be-
long the spoils'' was introduced. The Jour
nal believes in government by the people
and in government by parties but it does
to the danger point by turning the govern
ment into political spols machine. When
ever that shall become necessary to induce
the people to take ar interest in politics
and divide into parties the days of the Re
public will be numbered.