The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1904-02-19

NOltI' W IL EItdl tNltIlt' HIS DttH
eliminated Definite organization
Of the several parties has followed
as IN inevitable result, for without
it political parties could accomplish
nothing. The party machine has
come into existence, and SO long as
the machine remains incOrrupt, so
long as the party leaders win sue
cess at the polls and are believed
to be honest. there is little or no
criticism But the natural tcuden.
cy of the political machine is tow.
ards corruption. This fact is nm
dcuiabIr because history has proven
il beyond doubt. The remedy
lies with the individual citizen, and
he knows that if he wants good
government he must hr careful of
the machinery. He must keep it
from passing into the hands of
political bosses, who will abuse it
for the sake OF personal aggrandl2e.
mrut. The BOSSES must he cimin.
utrd or uur government, which We
50 openly proclaim is n government
10y the people, will become an oil
garchy. II is his duty aud his
right; his privilege and his supreme
prerogutivr; his unrestricted and
uudruird heritage, handed down
mtaruishrd from the Pilgrim Faith
crS.
II would not be- Just to Missouri
Democracy, It would not br ne.
rDrdiug honest treatment to the
party, which has 80 uohIy aud il.
lustrIuusly administered the aliulrs
OF the commonwealth of Missouri.
To lay corruption at It's door, aud
charge that It's organization is
responsible for the pitabIc condi.
ton Of municipal and Legislative
government. which has been so re.
Gently laid bare 10 the wondering
and srotlug gaze of the world. 1t
would he II breach of faith towards
these worthy veterans who have
laborcd So increasingly for the
triumph of Democracy, 10 con
front them with such an accusa-
ton.
But there is something wrong
somewhere, and somebody is re.
sponsihle for it. The state of mu-
niripnl government in St. Louis,
during the past few years, can on
" hc compared for viciousncss
and dcpraylty, TO the notorious
Tweed regime in New York City.
The revising session of the State
Legislature in 1899 has passed in-
to history ns Missouri : most cor.
rupt General Assembly. Senators,
representatives,, delegates in the
city council of st. Louis. and
even Lieutenant Governor, have
confessed themselves guilty OF
bribery ard perjury, the two worst
enemies Of a republican form of
government. Evidently the Demo.
cratic machine of Missouri has
been lax in its duty of maintain
ing Il high standard of morality
among the public officials. 1t is
Enthusiastically apparent that De-
morracy's leaders have winked ut
corruption in high places. The
machine has had its trial; the
weighing in the balance found it
wanting. The celebrated Mayor
Committee" " appointed from the
General Assembly of 1899, in n
paroxysm of temporary reform,
enacted Il farce in investigating
municipal corruption in st. Louis
when that corruption was ut its
height, The machine must pay
the penalty for its failure to main
tain political purity. The indi-
vidual Democrats of Missouri must
not suffer for the negligence of
the party organization. They
must uphold their self-respect, else
the time of Republican ascendency
is not far distant.
And yet men, who are active
workers IN the organization. tney
who constitute the machine, assert
that the recent exposure of corrup-
ton was the work of the Demo-
cratic party. They are even saying
openly that the machine, the Mis-
souri, Democratic machine, was
the real Investigator and prosecn-
tor of boodling in st. Louis. 1t
was indeed the work of Democra-
cy, bnt of Democracy personifed
in one single individual, who in
the face of the strongest opposi-
ton from that same presumptuous
machine, pushed the exposure to
the end. The credit must be