The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1906-05-03
"A SQUARE DEAL"
BY GENERAL S. J. ONKLI
WHAT Is Nor AND WHAT Is A PoLIT-
rrAr MACIrrNr

WHAT Is Nor AND WHAT Is A PoLIr-
Al MACHINE.
There are two distinct republican or
CARNATIONS in the state and all (as
Hon. Carl Sherwood has so ably illus
trated) are republicans, anu the organ
izations are severally known as Roose-
velt republicans, and Machine repub-
licans; the Roosevelt republicans Wig
orously denounce the Machine in pol
itics, as subversive of individual rights,
and the rights of localities, and as a
league with the principal corporations
of the state for mutual assistance and
profit, and as treacherous, dishonest,
and corrupt, and. that 1T should be
smashed, as kindred machines have re-
Gently been smashed by Roosevelt in
~spiration in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
York and several other states, and call
upon all good republicans to aid in a
similar disposition of the corporate re-
publican machine OF this state.
The machine republicans claim that
a political machine is necessary, and
cannot be dispensed with, and that If
the existing machine is destroyed, an
other must be constructed at once. No
doubt the conscience of a great many
men are lulled to sleep by the idea
that a machine in politics, is a neces-
a evil, and though the one they
have is bad, it is better to endure the
| one they have, than flee to the uncer-
tainties of a new one. In my judgment
l political machine is unnecessary, and
is demOraliZing and degrading to
American politics, and its elimination
therefrom is devOutly to be hoped for.
Every political party, however, must
have an organization for the purpose
Of exercising more conveniently, the
| rights which each member of the party
| nas,. in deciding what governmental
| policy, state or national, shall be sup
ported by the party. Every such Or
| ganization must have representatives
whose duty it is to confer with, and
| receive and execute the orders Of the
party, but not to give orders to the
party; to be servants Of the party and
not masters; to obey all commands
of the party, and to neither receive nor
recognize any order or influence from
any other source or power or interest,
and in all things to. labor for the in
serests of their party, instead of their
own interests.
Such representatives of a party, be
| hey great or humble, while they keep
thus in their line of duty, are not a
political machine, but the farthest pos
sible from it.
But when representatives of a polit-
zeal party become a law unto them
selves, and set out to rule their party
instead of being ruled by it, when they
| consult their own wills instead of the
will of the party, when they presume
to give orders to the party instead of
receiving orders from the party, when
they persistently labor to defeat the
| will of the party, instead of diligently
.aboring to execute it, when they turn
their backs upon the party and con
federate with, and take their orders
and inspirations from the representa-
lives of railway companies, and ex-
press and telegraph companies, and the
standard oil abomination, and insur-
,nce combinations, and school book
trusts, backed up and fortified in their
treachery to their party with railway
passes, sleeping a passes, and eX-
press and telegraph passes, and tele-
phone passes, and money from corpo-
rations that have no passes to issue,
when they have proceeded for years to
obey the orders of the representatives
of such corporate interests regardless
of the interests of the people of their
party, such political party has upon
it's hands a full ledged corporate, po-
litical machine; and he who com
mands such machine, is a political
boss.
Such a corporate republican ma
chine, has had an active and success
full existence in this state for ten
years; and the representatives of the
corporate interests named have been
and now are active members of it;
and have from time to time controlled