The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-15
Home VS.. Washington Politics,

An interesting article contributed by
Mr.. Jermane today discusses the con-
trast between the isolation of Mime
sota's state politics and the federaliz-
ing, so to speak, of the politics Of most
of the other states. He points out some
of the disadvantages of the prevailing
fashion in this state Of keeping our
Washington representatives in the dark
as to what we are doing at home. :.
1t may be worth while just at this
time to point out few of the advant-
ages. We have retained the right to
conduct, our local affairs without inter-
ference from Washington. This is a.
boon which we take in the ordinary
course of events, but how highly it
would be priced in state like New
York, where such thing as a repre-
sentative convention is scarcely known,
and where the president, the cabinet
and the senators engage in a free-for all
contest to see who shall dictate the
speaker and the leading committees of
the legislature. Or in Iowa where the
secretary Of the treasury is logging
from one end of the state to the other
in wild effort to stem the tide which
appears to be running toward candi-
date for governor whom be does not
fancy. =: : g.. :. :
1t is rather remarkable that this
country, which has long had a horror
| OF Capitalization Of government, has not
developed stronger sentiment against
the Capitalization of politics. The CEN
tralization Of power under the law is
as nothing to the Capitalization of pow
err outside Of the law, in the traditions
| and customs of political parties, which
are purely voluntary associations, but
which more truly run the country: than
the law-made machinery. a .
Most of the disasters in our politics
are traceable to this sort of centraliza-
ton. Take. the slave oligarchy; its
headquarters were in Washington; it's
field of operations, however, was in the
political conventions. The south called
slavery a local and domestic ttinstitu-
tion," but it could more truthfully have
been described as a gigantic conspiracy
to rule the whole country. It did rule
the country, construed the constitution
formulated the laws and nodded the
opinion Of the land all thru it's control
of the machinery of one Of the politi-
cal parties. The railroad question has
arisen in the same way. All of the west
ern and most Of the eastern states have
had their troubles with the. trunk rail
road lines running their politics
Wherever a big railroad crossed a state
from east to west it has been found
that the tendency Of that railroad was
to get into politics: and the, tendency
of the people was to divide into railroad
and anti-railroad groups. This is the
admitted division in Wisconsin today
where republican and democratic
parties, as such, except in name, have
disappeared. =.
One of the Causes Of the success of a
minority of the people in running the
majority, as in the railroad groups
which have never been in the majority
has been organization. Organization
with them meant the linking of all the
interests Of political party in one
1 chain. The end Of the chain was il
! Washington.
Now, this is exactly what the PEG
pie have been fighting against. The sen
timent against Capitalization is at tn,
bottom Of the movement for direct pr
maries. It is behind the development
" of the proposition that a man does no
lose his party standing by voting a
he pleases on aldermen and mayors. I
has in some states extended to govern
ors. The people are continually pro
testing against all their political egg
{ being put in one basket, there to b
Jostled about, the one smashing tn
:. other.
To refer to the ease Of Iowa one
more. Senator Dolliver is represente,
in recent press dispatches as havin
sent a message to his home count,