Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1905-10-05

the Presidents request, he could direc
the militant forces OF Republlcanism II
the last campaign, has not been abb
TO even nominally surrender the reini
Of party management, although thu
vast responsibilities OF the Postmaster
Generalship devolyed upon him at the
beginning OF this year.
IL was under the Hanna regime that
permanent headquarters Of the Repub-
lican National Committee were estab-
lished in Washington. Mr.. Hanna set
the fashion OF the chairman Of the Ma
tional Committee settling quarrels be-
tween warning factions, quarrels that
threatened so TO disrupt the party be-
tween campaigns as TO seriously darken
its prospects in intervening State, Con
gressional and city elections.
The Democratic National Commit
tees headquarters are nOminally in the
offices OF Chairman T. r. Taggart, in
Indianapolis, though much of the work
Of that organization is still done in
New York by August Belmont and VIM.
+. Sheehan, the leading members Of the
Executive Committee in the last cam
paign. AS the Democrats have no Fed !
eral patronage to dispense, the work |
that falls to Messrs. Taggart, Belmont |
and supervisory character. 1t goes
without saying. of course, that the Hon.
William J. Bryan has very great inhu-
ence I'm the decisions as 10 policies,
even though he is clothed with 10 OIL
cial authority.
The organizations next I'm Importance
TO the National Committee are the
State Committees. In each of the forty
five States both of the old parties main
tain central committees, whose func-
lions within their respective jurlsu.c
lions are similar to those OF the Ma
tional Committees.
The Congressional National Commit
tee stands next in the line Of our mill
Iant political system. These commit
tees are OF comparatively recent origin,
and are a logical development of our
party government system. Each party
IN Congress selects its own committee
IN caucus in Washington usually just
before the expiration Of the Congress
hen in session. Each committee in
urn selects its officers. who. as a rule,
ire members of the House. Both OF !
hese committees have permanent head
quarters in Washington, from which l
are conducted those fierce biennial Q
struggles for control of the House of :
Attached 10 each ]
committee is a corps Of salaried assist J
ant secretaries, stenographers, etc.
City, ward, county and precinct COM |
mittees, State legislative and senatorial
Congressional committees in ]
each district of the States, judicial dis J
trict committees, not TO mention the =
myriad host of political clubs of mush-
room growth and others of stable life
and permanent habitations, complete a
line of political organizations that
ramify every avenue of our activities
and are in the wool and web Of our ma
tional life.
Nearly every candidate for President
keeps always in his employ-rarely, or
course, avowedly-a well-Organized ma
chine, usually headed by one or more
alert and enterprising press agents and
seconded by practical politicians rang
Ing in the social scale from the highly
corporation president TO the
ward worker. These prl-
vate machines are grinding from the
close of one Presidential campaign 10
the opening of the next. In a word,
so numerous are the political organiza-
tons. so varied are their methods, so
unceasing are their activities that the
American voter finds IL virtually lmpos-
sible TO escape surveillance.
With all this marvellous perfection OF
political machinery, however, it is
worthy of note that at no time in the
recent history of the United Staes has
the American voter shown more indie
pendence OF thought. In fact, this is
one of the reasons for the nnceasing
labor and vigilance OF party leaders.
To test public opinion, to follow popu-
lar sentiment in the making of plat
forms and the nomination of candidates /
is one of the important functions of or
ganiZation. The American voter Is in
telligent, alert and independent. The
party machinery OF to-day is not Gre
ated for the purpose of driving men,
like sheep, to the polls or in the ex-
pectation of hoodwinking the voters.
1t exists for the purpose of crystalliZ-
ing and making effective particular
political creed. 1t can do nothing more
than this.