The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-11-23

as the tyne OF literary weekly with real
political Independence. now that sort of
weekly is the prevailing type. The great
mass of the American people in that day
regarded George William Curtis and Carl
Schurz and James Russell Lowell es po-
litical freaks. The republicans desplsed
them. and the democrats mistrusted them.
But the term m~ugwG.np has lost Its oppro-
briufl. II has become almost an obsolte
word in the political dictionary. And tho
reason of it all Is found in the people
themselves. \ now generation is ON tho
stage OF life. 1t is II generation that has
been educated IN the American public
schools as they have existed since the civil
war. 1t is pre-eminently n reading gen
Grafton. The "IIarper's Weekly of 1854
had less than 10000 subscribers. Perhaps
half n million people read 1T. Today the
actual subscribers to the best known of a
score of papers. monthlies and wecklies,
and three or four dailies of that charuc-
ter, number many millions, and when ore
considers how many of these subscribers
are public libraries and reading rooms in
country towns and villages. the number OF
readers of first class well-made, independ-
ent unpurchasable periodicals runs into a
figure that is so large a percentage OF tho
American public that one easily accounts
for the fact that the public sentiment of
America is far ahead of the public service.
One of our chief troubles in politics today
is that the intclligently honest voter is tied
up and tangled and exasperated with an
Anticipated system of politics. 1t was made
for Il day when the people as a mass were
not quite ready for direct participation in
the affairs of government. In those DAYS
we called our government q government
of the people, but it was in fact a govern
ment of the politicians for the people.
Hence the convention system in our poll
;ics. And from that has grown the caste
OF politics. that has its foundation IN the
county and the county town, and extends
through the judicial and congressional DIS
tricts 10 the state and to The nation. Tn
der the convention system the people ind
1t difficult to express themselves. They
Mud it difficult to get results. In the six
ties and seventies the convention systen,
was probably the best system. For part!-
sanship and patriotism had been sadly con-
fused by the clyll war and its issues. III
the population could have voted directly
for its party candidates., the old soldier
would have been named for sheriff from
one end of the land to the other without
any regard to the issues. But now the
American schools are turning out millions
who can read, and American civilization
has shortened the hours of labor for those
millions, and has put attractive, we'll
made, ~well-writtcn, ana honestly edited
periodicals into the hands OF those read
Ing millions at a price so small that every
one is a reader. and the people are de-
handing a change in their system of poll
tics. This fall the movement for direct
primaries is engaging the people of the
whole mississippi valley with VARYING ac.
tivity in the several states. 1t is one of
the great movements of American politics.
The stupid politicians and The forces OF
corruption are fighting against the direc.
primary. But it is coming, and when Il,
is established it will take the American
people one step-and that a long step
nearer to the real government OF the peo-
pie by the people, that the people may no,
perish from the earth.