The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-12
ORGANIZATION.

City politics resolves itself into simple matter for
John Jones' for the individual and the question, How
is city politics be improved? is one for John Jones
as an individual residing certain block in GER
tain precinct. in a certain ward.
The only trouble with st. Louis is that not suf-
cient number of its people have any politics at ALL
This does not refer politics in the usual but
to the desire coupled with the activity which together
express political rights; which lead man to parci-
pate in the making of governmental environment ana
secure political representation Were there such a
desire and activity ON the part of everybody there
would be bad politics. occasion for particular
effort, no need for considerations of the tiresome.
threadbare subject reform The numerical
strength of the John Joneses, who preponderang
ly honest would of itself force true expression and
honest representation in government.
Since there only some of the honest John
Joneses who possess this Kind of active politics, it
Is to these alone that the city must ultimately
look for its redemption from nonrepresentative rne
To be effective for good they cannot depend merely
upon their numerical strength in the supposed case
where every actively participates in affairs, but
must exert a force and influence outside of and be-
yond themselves In short they must adopt the sys-
tenn of organization and, to some extent. the means
employed by the enemies of good government by
which the latter representation and influence
greater than their numbers warrant.
Organized effort. concerted movement, team
work. as it has been called alone can accomplish
results In politics, and especially in city politics, the
force of collective body is greater than the of
the individual forces which compose it. The whole
greater than the of its parts. Concerted move
ment too grows by what it feeds on. BY its mag
nesm it draws other particles into the whole. 1t is
the only medium of reform into which can enter the
element of enthusiasm individual effort short of
conspicuous heroism breeds sympathy and enthusi-
assn.
Under present conditions the citizen who wishes aci
lively TO participate in securing improvement of
city government finds himself compelled to choose be-
tween twl fields of efort-he must join the
other OF the party organizations or he must be free
lance True are numbers of worthy nonpartisan
organizations which he may join but there is among
these lack of concerted effort, lack of organiza-
ton; they do move one with single purpose.
and John Jones is no less alone when he joins Them
Let the honest organize within the old parties
and work together for, extended power or, where it
is possible for John Jones to enter the old party
organizations where the character of the cid ward
organization in particular ward admits of no good
let the John Joneses build up independent organi-
! zation
In those wards which completely dominated
by corrupt machine politicians the latter is the et
zens only course. Moreover it is the only remedy
for evil conditions in those wards Independent or
a specific cure for municipal misrue.
In the good wards the old party organizations are
usually representative of the character population
In the bad wards the organization may represent the
intelligence but not the morality and honesty even