Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-03-10
Partisan Politics Versus Political
Manhood,

eriy lived in Marietta, and attended
College here.
Where as the sermon is of particular
concern in California, yet it has in it
an appeal to elevated political practice
which applies to the country in gener-
al
The efficiency of partisan politics
depends upon the annihilation of indi-
vidual manhood. The key to The stu
alton at Sacramento is the fact that a
number Of the legislators are voted in
blocks. These men have surrendered
their individual opinion and will into
the keeping of another. Thus they
cease to be men and become checkers
in a game played by men who are not
even members of the legislature. They
receive their orders from the outside
and dare not call corruption byils right
name without permission from the
party boss. The spectacle is both sad
and sickening What we ordinarily
mean by corruption is bad enough
though it may not be as prevalent as
many say it is. But this goes deeper
than even corruption. 1t is by no
means necessary to believe that all
pledged men are either corrupt or dis
honest. There have been honest slaves
before this. But tney are not free men
The party organization is called "the
machine" 1t is well named for its eff
ficiency depends upon the destruction
of individual spontaneity and the
moulding of each man into a strict
mandate of the manipulation. Such
men are only well articulated parts of
a machine and they have laid aside the
one attribute that in America is sup
posed to be above all others essential
to true manhood.
We may discount the indiscriminate
charges of corruption. Yet the acts of
the Assembly itself show that money
is more or less used in elections in
ways that are reprenensible; for the
| Assembly has insisted upon the resig-
nation of the speaker and has passed
IN act forbidding the practices of
which he was guilty. One of our AL
ameda papers has cody said that this
has been the common practice and that
no man need expect to be a candidate
for United States Senator who does
not furnish money to various legisla-
tive candidates over the State. Now
the man who thus accepts money even
for legitimate expenses frCm a man
who is afterward to ask for his vote in
the legislature, has ted himself up and
is no longer free to vote as he pleases
Granted that he may still feel the
promptings of honor; what honor he
has, will forbid his voting against the
man who helped pay his way to a seat
in the legislature. The whole thing is
revolving to right thinking and it is a
serious menace to the public good. The
principle is morally bad no matter if
individual men have practiced it with
impunity. Every good citizen will en-
dorse the act of the Legislature in con-
demning it.
The whole system of pledging men is
wrong; it is morally questionable and
1T is certainly un-republican. What
right has legislator to go up to Sac
ramento with string to him that he
is to vote for a certain man? The
guarantee of our National existence is
chat men will remain free Law and
institutions cannot take the place of
free men. This was a great Nation be-
fore we had laws or a constitution;
and it is conceivable that we might
cease be great and retain them both.
This nation cannot endure half slave
and half free" This was Lincoln's
famous phrase. 1t is equally true to-
day as against this new form of slav-
cry.
The temptation to This political vice
is the fact that it wins battles. This is
only a fresh illustration of the fact
mat a tyranny is in many respects
more effective than a democracy. In
politics the boss is small despot and
he can throw his gang against the
free, but scattered forces of the un-
pledged men though they may be in a
very considerable majority. Thus a
small minority of one party may die
tate the National representatives of
whole state. In short it is one way of
defeating the desire and will Of the
majority; and as such it is directly op-
posed to all of our American political
principles.
One of the hopeful signs of the times
is the popular distrust of machine pol
itics, The public is waking up to the
fact that such men are not safe or
proper leaders. The United States SEN
atorship is not some thing to be given
away to ones personal friends, and
above all else it is not something TO be
voted for because of money consldera-
ton. No amount of jugglery with
words can disguise the real character
of such transactions The ultimatum
of the machine is Always that it is
Jhelr man or nobody. This shows be-
yond peranVenture of doubt that it is
not the country, or yet their party.
whose good they seek. The interest