The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-28
AND POLITICIANS.


Philadelphia Record.
When the historian Of 500 years hence
shall write OF the United States in the last
part of the twentieth century be will be
astonished that popular government sur
vived. not the newspapers. but the poll
ticians. He will find that grating was
common In city halls, and "boodling" not
infrequent in State capitals. He will find
that many writers Of the period. men Of
wide information and philosophic thought.
expressed great doubt whether American
institutions could long endure on account
of political rings. bosses and the low char
acter Of many men who devoted themselves
to politics because they could get more
money out Of that pursuit than out OF any
other. He will find that the survival OF
popular government was due mainly to the
vigor with which the newspapers exposed
and denounced political chicanery and
jobbery, and their success in arousing the
people TO emancipate themselves from pro-
The historian OF 2403 A. ID. will find that
in the period in which We are living many
politicians, some respectable. and some not.
insisted that off1ceholders were the repre-
sentatives of the people. and were entitled
to immunity from newspaper criticism on
account Of that representative capacity
But he will also find a contract between
political bosses in Pennsylvania by which,.
in the phraseology of business transac-
ton, the said parties or the second part"
az fh s 70 s I ns,ensI s
will be guided in all matters by the wishes
of said party Of the first part:" that the
selection Of members or both branches OF
the State Legislature was in like manner
disposed of; that "at the approaching ma
tional convention TO be hello in st. Louis
the delegates from the Twenty-second con-
gressional district shall neither by voice nor
vote do other than what Is satisfactory
TO the party of the first part" and that in
the Twenty-second congressional district
the candidates for Congress shall be Sc
lected by the party of the second part
The historian will then realize that
great part OF the members Of the Legisla-
ture, of Congress and OF the national con-
ventions did not represent the people at all.
but were selected by political bosses and
represented political organizations, and
that the people had as much 70 do with
their selection as the Roman Senate under
the empire had to do with the making OF
laws; they simply registered the DEGREES
prepared by men who. like the Roman
Emperors, had usurped political power.
cipal agency In remedying this disgraceful
political condition was the press.
The historian will observe further that
in all countries where men in office were
protected from newspaper denunciation
when they betrayed their trusts the official
class was corrupt and oppressive and in
countries where the newspapers were re-
strained the least. and the political bosses
and ringsters sQuirmed the most. govern
ment was on the whole cleanest and most
liberal He will find that at an earlier age.
when men were hanged, drawn and quar-
tered for denouncing official rascality. cor
ruption in government was the general
rule, and ii had become the exception only
as the newspapers had secured wider lib
erty in protecting the people from the po-
litical beasts that preyed upon them. And
the historian will record his conclusion that
a sharp and critical press had saved popu-
lar government from bosses and rings and
corruption whose continuance would have
made even the man on horseback" well
come