Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-06-09
ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES.

tEGlIOTlal III Ddlly OTebOuldu.J
The movement in Oregon public
opinion which through the operation
of the initiative and referendum has
given us the direct primary and ap
parently local option set in at the
close of the abortive legislative ses
sion Of 1897. Partly through the ad
ventitious Importance which then ac
crued to certain popullst leaders part
ly from the omnipresent longing OF
the powerless for power, and partly
because of ageneral protest against
the machine domination in politics,
the interest of the people has been
aroused in series of undertakings
whose theory runs toward democracy
and away from representative govern.
ment, and whose practice is an indei.
mite future of uncertainties and perils.
II is our present purpose to dis.
cuss but one of these causes--the pro-
test against machine methods in poll.
tics. II is perfectly certain that but
for the foundation laid for them in
abuses of party management the pro
moters of these innovations would
have labored in vain. Following upon
the session of 1897 came the Corbett
campaign and the election of Senator
Simon. Neither then nor at any sub
sequent session of the legislature was
the course of the Simon machine or
the succeeding Mitchell machine calcu.
lated to mollify the protest against
ring rule or give pause to the so-called
reform sentiment. The course of poll
tical management fostered revolution
precisely as the trusts promote social
ism.
Apparently the state is irrevocably
committed to the revolutionary en-.
terprise In which it is embarked; and
If so, It is futile to deprecate the steps
taken or to speculate upon the un.
familiar and perilous places by which
our course may lie. But 1t may be
pointed out that there have been all
the time and still are two alternative
courses, which do not involve lnno-
walton. One of these alternatives
would be wiser leadership in the party |
organization. A party is judged by its
record and political machine can |
Just as well be popular as unpopular,
IL 1t studies to give the people what
they want instead of trying to force
its ideas and its pets upon them. The
numbers who resent machine rule are
insignificant compared with those who
resent machine rule for certain speci- |
hc acts of folly or wrong.
Another acceptable alternative
would have been the assertion of a
superior right to rule by leading Re.
publlcans of brains and character.
Our prominent business and profes.
sional men have thought that control
of the party in behalf of the com
munity's solid interests could only
be had at too high price. That price
of course, was the necessary amount
of time, trouble and expense. So
they have preferred to leave the task
to those who have exploited the party
for personal and factional ends. Now
they see that control of affairs is drift.
ing not only out of their hands, but
OF the hands that have acted as their
substitutes Now they see that repre-
sentative government, with all 1t Inn
plies of wise counsel and firm reso
luton In the efficient forces of the
community, is giving place to some,
thing approxlmating the Athenian de.
mocraey. and at time when innova-
tion is in the air and fanaticism is
rampant Il is a situation upon which
the thoughtful may look with hope
but cannot look but with misgivlngs
Approach the maladies of the state"
said Burke in one of his inspired mo-
ments, "as you would the wounds of
a father-with infinite solicitude and
care"