The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-10-07

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THE BOSS N POLITICs.
Dangers confronting representative
government b . topsc discussed BY ).
". LArned In the Atlantic Monthly for
October. Under the title. The Flaw in
Our Democracy" Mr.. LArned examines
ut some length the American expert
meni Of democratic rspublicsnism.
and nnds the result painfully dissatts-
flying" TAs great danger confronting
the republic he finds in che politician
and the closely-knit organisation known
a. the machine. Taking ~ an example
the politics Of New York city. ~ domln-
ated by Tammany. he discovers that
the seif-seeking politician il = mighty
power. who by . skiIiful manipulation
Of minority IL enabled with every ap-
pearance Of fairness to defeat the ma
jority and SO control the elections and
the oflces.
This state OF affairs. Mr.. Larned says.
is due to an organic weakness in the
constitution Of representative democ-
racy. wherein. by the system OF terri
toriai or district representation, all the
differences OF viii and opinion which
pure accident Of residence has neigh
bored within some geographical bound
AIRY are mixed into one heterogeneous
constituency and left to scramble for q
single representative There are no
circumstances conceivable" he saya.
under which q true representation OF
the people could be attained by that
method"
Having discovered this nav in the
American system. Mr.. I.arned. in
burst Of language that II somewhat
nebulous. proceeds to suggest q remedy.
Like many other reformers. ne has
sought the ideal: and he believes he
has found It in = plan OF grouping peo-
pie according to their af'inities Of opln-
Ion and character. more or less inde-
pendently OF residence. One OF the
probable results OF such elan. he says.
would be proportional representation. an
end which he believes ought to be at
tained.
Mr.. Larned then proceeds 20 say:
Moreover. IL those citizens who arc
thoughtful OF the public good and hishmlnd-
ii In. fhZIA ia
seives. In the manner suggested, and oct
together. who car doubt that they would
draw a great part OF their more careless
fellows into association with them. by an
influence that is nearly poweriess now!''
Assuredly, no one would doubt Il.
But why should the American people
change their present system OF electoral
districts. on account Of the flaws point
ell out by Mr.. Larned. by his own ac-
acknowledgement the fault In not with the
election machinery. but with the peo-
pile themselves. No one doubts that n
the people are active no amount Of
machine politics' WIN prevail against
them, and II Is only when voters be-
come iistless that the bosses carry the
elections
Mr.. Lsarned is best answered by an ar
iicie in the Independent. written by
practical politician. He demonstrates
that there is nothing so greatly feared
by the political bosses az the activity OF
the electors Always. he says, 1t 10 In
the power OF the people 10 smash the
machine. and the people never fail 10
osertarn the boss when they earnestly
set out TO do H. In San Francisco. for
example. the people net only defeated
one boss. but they defeated another az
the same time. and completely smashed
both political machines. Perhaps no
better example 81 the power or the peo-
pie can be found.
Mr.. f-arned has taken alarm needless
~, To be sure there are crying defects
In the electoral machinery. and often
times the will Of the people. IN particu-
lar Instances. IL thwarsed But the de-
fects he has thus magaifed are not Of
great consequence when one considers
the system az checks and balances PER
feet.d by The builders 81 the American
constitution. The supreme court in IL
self. Is the sEeat bulwark % American
liberty. ard can be relied on In the
crucial test 20 guarantee ~ the people
the supremacy 81 law and right.
There - also d~velaped in the Av5,4rl-
can people 10 remarkable degree an
other safeguard 81 the r~puhuc II T.
what asaixot calls common sense In tn
face q that. the ssoii'ica. ooss. 10 matter
what bis temporary success NAV De-
Will finally stand rwheinea