New-York tribune., 1905-11-23
POLITICAL VITALITY.

The election of November Z must have made
it evident to every person who is able to Go any
real thinking about politics and is not a mere
register of tombstone inscriptions that the ira
ditional party organizations and functions are
out of fashion We hear great deal said about
the vote for the retirement of bosses, but 1t was
a vote for more than that. II was a vote for
some vital relation between the wants of the peo-
pie and the machinery of politics. In certain con
spicuous instances where party machinery failed
TO respect popular wishes concerning nominations
the machinery was smashed and politicians were
told that the nominating function had not Deen
irrevocably committed to them. But behnd thls
revolt in the matter of nominations was feel
ing that organized parties had got away from
the people and ceased TO represent their thougnt.
Parties tend to crystalline and devote themselves
TO mint anise and cumin to the neglect OF the
weightier matters of the law, just as churches
do It is time for an awakening and new deVo-
ton of party organizations TO their true functions
as exponents of principles and designers of meas
ures not as mere organizers of campaigns and
distributors of Office.
Who for twenty years has ever thought OF the
New-York County Republican organization as
the exponent of ideas? Who has ever turned to
It for light and leading in any crisis? On some
few occasions 1t has allied itself with popular
movements of reform, but for the most part 1t
has been content to follow feeby in the footsteps
of the Tammany bone hunters and leave every
work that really vital in the political lie OF
the city to be done through other agencies. When
the people here needed anything they dld not
look to the county committee to set forth ther
needs, but formed some outside body. Repubh-
cans who felt impelled to work for civic better
ment were not drawn to activity In the county
organization but devoted themselves to civic as
sociations, city clubs, committees Of seventy and
all the rest of the volunteer agencies or a SEMI
political character. The reason for the dearth or
able men in the organization is that there was no
work for them to do there of interest to honest
and able men who were not merely concerned 10
get power or office for themselves. What could
q man of ideas find worth his while In a commit
tee concerned solely with spoils and the drill OF
campaigning and having about much to do
with the shaping of government policies as the
gang of an Italian padrone? Under such clrcum-
stances dry rot is inevitable The form remains,
but. the substance of true politics having de-
parted. progressive men are naturally anenated
and the machinery falls into the hands of mere
spoilsmen who have not even the intelligence and
independence to run It without seeking outside
direction.
Now, the Republicans of this county need TO
| restore to themselves an organization capable
: Of performing the legitimate functions Of poiti-
cal party, namely, actually to represent in their
political aspect the ideas and interests Of hat
of the people for which II processes 10 speak
| That is what the present organization does not
/ do Yet such approaches to that representation
as from time to time it has made show that
therein lies certain victory. The only successes
the Republican party has ever had here were the
successes which the thinking people gave it when
for the time being it did stand for what they
wanted. Tammany is not a majority, but the
majority which is not satisfied with an organiza-
ton whose only politics is honest graft will not
H. ,uo4II
in the positive work OF good citizenship. Let the
organization give enlightened attention TO mu-
nicipal problems use its influence for good and
against bad legislation do the political work
which various volunteer organizations are
forced to do for the protection of the city. Then
able men will be glad to join it and work in it,
and the people will look to it the guardian Of
their interests.
The problem is to get transacted in the party
organization the political business which is now
transacted out of it. owing to the neglect by the
organization of its most serious duties. Then
we shall have here what Mr. Twins several times
In his campaign emphatically declared we needed
a true political opposition. 1t may make mis-
takes and favor measures which are unpopular,
but if it takes its positions openly and is above all
suspicion of dishonesty it will command increas-
Ing confidence as an instrument of good govern
ment Only as Republicans who care for some
thing besides the mere machinery of politics can
thus be interested in organization work can the
party in this county become strong. y mere
shutting of men will leave it weak.