Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-30
HORACE }. TAFFS LECTURE.
(Continued from Page 1.)

fund collected from all kinds of dis honest sources compared with which the most generous and patriotic con. tributions from his friends would amount to nothing. It is putting the amateur against the professional, hon. esty and inexperience against bribery and skill, individuals against organi- zaHon. This reforming the party from within when the leaders are sure of the. support of all it's members has al- ways failed. It alweys will. And no one knows it better than the practical politician. Well. our average citizen gives up. He shuns politics hence forth and takes gloomier and gloom fer view of popular government. Well for him and well for the rest of us II he do not at last become tainted him. self and begin to think, with so many plums flying around, he may as well have one. One thing he does not do, if he be the average citizen, that is to think of looking outside of his party
 A distinguished ex-governor of New York, few weeks ago delivered an extraordinary address in Chicago on partisanship. The gist of his remarks was that all the good deeds in this world had been done by partisans and that practically the only cure for all our political ills. could be found in par tlsanship. This is discouraging. 1t is as though man who had been con sistent vegetarian all his life should 20 to a doctor to he cured of serious and complicated diseases and should be told that the only thing that could save him was to give up meat. In heavens name how can we be more partisan than we are? I remember man in a big western city and there are hundreds or thousands more like him in both parties-who boasted to me that in the thirty years since he had become a voter he had never cast any thing but the straight party ticket, and when I called his attention to the fact that in that case he must have voted for a good many men whose peculiar. methods in office had got them into the penitentiary, it only seemed to 1n- crease his pride in his devotion to his party. I repeat, how can We be more partisan than we have been? We elect selectmen and coroners and jus tices of the peace on party platforms and get the party vote for them as regularly as though they were running for the presidency We might elect church deacons and clergymen as re publicans or democrats, but I presume that Governor Black would hardly urge that.
 Governor Blacks mistake is easy to see. If by partisan he means a man who from sincere conviction takes sides in the political fight, who comes to love the traditions and history of the organization he fights for, who has feeling of fellowship with the other members of his party, then can share with him his admiration for partisan ship. can feel some sympathy even with the strength of this feeling which makes 1t hard for man to believe i'll of his own party. The partisanship of Daniel Webster, of Charles Sumner. of Macaulay, is the partisanship of noble minds. Macaulay's love for whig prin- ciples made it impossible for him to write history fairly. He .revered the traditions of the party and felt one in spirit with Hampden and Russell. with Chatham and Charles James Fox. But in what a mental tangle must man be who confuses such partisanship with the spirit which forces a man to vote for candidate for justice of the peace on principles of national politics. Think of confusing the patriotism which inspired Hamilton. Jefferson. Webster, Calhoun and Sumner with the partisanship which has built up the power of Quay and Addicks, of German and David B. Hill.
 Here let me say that it is unfortunate that We must use the words partisan and non-partisan in this discussion. A non-partisan for our purposes Is not a man who belongs to no party; he is a man who refuses to carry party action into spheres where party principle is and must be absent He is as well aware as the partisan that ours must be government by party. but he knows that nothing is so corruptinp as Dartv without principle A republican or a democratic member of the Citizens, union in New York city is a good par tisan in both national and municipal contests. His party in each case rep resents principle.
 There Is no time to discuss how we came to adopt so extraordinary q sys- tenn. "It is a condition that confronts us, not theory" Gan anything be palmer than that, when the good gov ea 7. eahhAeht o1 IrAltOn Is the only QueS- Tlon at issue, the people in favor of good government should get together and not divide on national u1estiops any more than on the egg question. If you make a rif1eman fasten his eyes on point due south of him and shoot at mark due west of him he will do some wretched shooting. If the people of Grafton fasten their eyes on the tariff, the currency and expansion and shoot at good streets, good schools and good administration. they will never hit the mark. Make a little applica- ton of this. No doubt your streets in Waterbury are everything that can be desired and your public schools in the best possible condition. But supposing your streets were i'll paved and your schools inefficient. and this building were full of common sense business men. not politicians on whom fha tas--