The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-04-11
Conversations is
Our Club = BBy yo Srsstss H.

~ AiitO SUM cash. Say what yOt
: VIII against fidelity or slavery to par
, ty it remains always true that in d
, republican state public affairs are anG
WI! be managed by party. and the citi-
zen mas little els, to do than to choose
and serve his party"
Then" SAID De Bonneville, your
btasted republ.canism merely trans
: iers arbitrary and irresponsible power
rom the kI'G to the dominant party
changes tie form. but retains the
substance OF Oriental despotism.''
The tyranny of party" replied
Father John, is no doubt bad. very
bad. but not so bad as the tyranny of
a government that can support itself
by the forms of law and the whole
physical force of the state Party ties
are frequently strong, but any man
with firm and resolute will can break
them, and without any serious diff
Guilty, or grave inconvenience. lad as
the democratic republic may be. it is
chiefly bad from the defect, not rhe
excess of power, and under any aspect
1t is less to be dreaded than absolute
monarchy, with its mouchards and it's
gems darmes. Parties are not desir-
able, but they are inevitable There
are in every state real differences of
interest and opinion, and men, if not
repressed by the strong arm of power
VIII group together according to the
attraction of common opinions, and the
affinity of the common interests. They
thus form parties, and parties which
| may have an honest and legitimate eX-
! lStence. These parties will enter into
politics, and struggle each for power,
! to obtain the control and management
of public affairs. Against this it is
! foolish TO declaim. What, however, is
| wrong, and should never be tolerated,
is the artificial organization of party,
for the sake of party, or in the slang
| of the day, for the spoils.' L have
| nothing to say for or against the policy
in general pursued by the American
| Democratic party. 1t may or may not
be the wisest and best for the country,
but to its doctrine or party, that party
is always to be supported for it's own
sake, or because 1t is desirable that
the affairs of the nation should be
managed by a party, l do and must OBJ
Ject. 1t is one of the loans we have
made from the British oligarchy and
which we had been better off without.
In England, since the revolution of
1868, affairs have for the most part
been managed by party. There have
been two parties, the ms and Outs.
The ms are the government and the
Outs are the opposition. The one seems
to be about as much a British institu-
ton as the other. DO you belong to
her majesty's government a French
man asked one day an English gentle
man at Paris. No, l have the honor
to belong to her majesty's opposition
The answer was neither a Witticism
nor an absurdity, but the simple state
ment of a fact. Her majesty's opposi-
ton is not, however an American in
stitution. Parties, whether in the mi
nority or majority that oppose or de-
fend an administration on purely party |
grounds, because it is or because it is |
not their administration, are simply
factions. The president is and will be
elected by party, but he is elected not |
for a party, and is bound to conduct |
himself as the president of the nation, |
not of a party. When elected he be- |
longs to the party opposing as much |
as to the party supporting his election. |
Both parties are integral portions of |
hte political people whose affairs he is
called to administer and he has no |
right to discriminate, for party pur-
poses, between them
Hence" added Winslow, "the con-
demnation of the practice becoming al
most general, that of the incoming adj
ministration turning out of Office or
dismissing from their employments, all /
the adherents of the outgoing admin
istration and filing their places with
new men taken from the ranks of its
partisans solely for party reasons. 1t
introduces a selfish and sordid element
into our elections and substitutes love
of office or place for love of country.
1t tends to render parties and elections
venal. No changes should be made by
the new administration except for pub
lie reasons, for the more prompt or
more faithful discharge of the public
Too chA h. Il fO,- Tlno
purpose of rewarding noisy partisans
or hungry expectants. A man is no
more entitled to an office because he
supported than because he opposed the
election of the new administration. Of
fee or governmental place is created
for the public service, and is never
to be given as a reward for party serv-
ices or taken away as a punishment
for party delinquencies. The only con- {
sideration that should weigh with the
alecting or the appointing power is the {
public good, and the aim should al /
ways be to put the right man in the {
light place. For similar reasons should l
also be condemned that absurdest of {
Ill doctrines, called Rotation in office
/ doctrine which one can hardly be- {
ieve public opinion in any country
,ould fall low enough to tolerate. 1t
assumes that office is a favor. and '
therefore,, in a democratic country all G
should share it by turns. Office it as
umes, is created for the office-holder,
md as monOpolies are odious, and the c
lights of all are equal, each one should
lave his turn; but as all cannot hold
ffice at one and the same time, as
here cannot be offices enough for all,
here must be rotation in office. After q
his, there is no absurdity that party t
aaderS may not be regarded as ca Y
able of adopting, and even attempt Y
ng to reduce to practice. No man r
hould be appointed to an office unless q
to discharge its duties faith q
ully and acceptably and as long as 6
e does so discharge them, there can
ever be good public reason for dis r
Missing him and filing his place with -
mother" y
THE human mind" said Father
Ohm, lis naturally logical, and when it
tarts with a false principle it deduces G
nd accepts for the moment any absurd
it involves. The Demo- is
ratio party started with several false 50
rinciples, which it has been engaged o
developing and reducing to practice. Ii
he consequences of it's doctrines of
arty and office are now becoming
lanifest in the factious character of =
IL our parties, in the multiplication
noisy, brawling partisa1s. and the
eager and hungry aspirants, without
umber in rendering our elections
email, our public men venal and the
of government venal
series of mere jobs. Whether we
ok at the federal government or the
ate government or the municipal
)vernment, we see nothing but sue
,ssfu efforts for plundering the peo-