Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-08-02


not inherent in the constitution pu'
ia the outgrowth of the great deVel
opment of the organized power Oh
narties. which results 10 the stlhlng
and smothering of honest convictions
Mr. Watkins points to the campaign OIL
1896, when Republicans bv the mil
lions who believed in frea silver &C
cepted and supported the party s goio
platform, with boiling that was OIL
hardly noticeable dimensions ice
bolt of gold Democrats against the
party's free silver platform was many
times greater, and yet thers were
great masses of Democrats that for
the sake of party regularity voted foF
what they did not believe IT, Ii there
had cen a division into several par
ties, each supporting ideas CT It's
own, Mr. Watkins points out, there
could have been no such spectacle OF
Inconsistency
The effect upon the work OF govern
mept was seen in the 20 years after
1874 when the majority of the country
was almost continuously Democratic,
the two exceptions being 1850 ana CO.
and vet not a Democratic idea took
snaps in accomplished legislation. on
the tariff, for example, Republican
party disciples held the great low tar
if statement of the West, against It's
will and interest, to support hlRh
protectionism, while there WIS enough
of Randall and German following IN
the Democracy to block any effective
action. If congress had been divided
into groups or its members felt free to
vote their convictions, low tariff We uld
have prevailed years ago, by the un'
ions OF what were low tariff Demo.
Gratis and Republicans. The silver
question would have been settled also,
but probably in favor of free silver, so
the delay and the difficulty in effect
ing legislation may in this respect
have been for the benefit of the coun-
try.
A changs to the French or German
ways of politics would greatly facili-
tate settlement of all questions and
avert the prolonged deadlocks that so
often characterize legislative effort.
Whether in the long run the settle
ments would be wiser is another ques.
ton. As it is now, any subject comes
to be pretty thoroughly understood by
the time final and decisive action can
be reached. This is the idea at the
bottom of the elaborate system OF
checks and balances that makes our
constitution, that the popular will, so
filtered ard guarded as to make sure
that it is the mature ard deliberate
will of the people, is the best possible
expcsition of right and truth. Our
method of government through rar'
ties, with all the inconsistency, insin-
cerity and trickery it involves, only
emphasizes the idea of the constitu-
ton And the evils that develop in its
practical working. are not necessary
or even natural consequences of the di
vision into two parties. They are the
result Of slavishness to one party or
the other. All that is needed is a
greater proportion of men who will
deliberate and discriminate with their
votes, weigh cool .headedly ell the
issues and considerations involved ;
then questions could be settled more
quickly and e&acaciously, and respon-
sibility Re fixed more definitely, un-
der the tSoparty system than any
other. And this is the direction in
which our electorate is headed.
Another objection to the splitting
up of present parties into half a dozen
or more other parties is that it would
throw elections for the presidency
more frequently into the House. Mr.
Watkins thinks this would be good
thirg and the more presidents chosen
that way the better. Whatever may be
said for this view theoretically, the
practical trouble is the constitution
requires such elections to be BY count
of states. Little Nevada with $1,000
would count for as much rs New York
With 7,o0O,0 600, and if there is any
virtue at all in the i6ea of represents.
tive government, a system which
would cor stantly recsssltsts srch a
method of election, could not he 9TH
erxise than evil