The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-12-24

cuOOrullhtS OliLNES ohN VIZ pNhSi iC
cults of the new system in its early
career.
Was the rule of the political gang
broken by the adoption of the Des
Moines plan?
Yes, most emphatically yes.
The old crowd which had ruled the
city to its sorrow, was completely brok-
en-. first in its defeat in the fight for
the adoption of the plan. and again in
the election of the new officials. y
few members of the gang had the
Questionable courage to come out
as candidates in the nominating pri-
maries, backed by the old influences
that had once been so powerful, but
not one OF these men came even within
sight of a nomination. The gang"
was completely smashed and thrown on
the scrap heap. With the wiping out
of the ward system, the fundamental
unit of the gang rule in city politics
was destroyed; with the elimination Of
political parties, party caucuses and
and conventions, and the substitution
of an uutrammeled primary and non
partisan election, the destruction Of
the machine was complete. That the
old gang or new one will ever find a
wsy to establish machine rule is I'M
likely, because the people have the
power to smash every machine that is
Sc. up if they will There is no foun-
dstion for a machine in the new system.
But has the politician been eliminat-
ed?
That is impossible under any form of
popular government.
You cannot legislate out of existence
the hold of a popular man upon the
people, politician or no politician. nor
prevent his election to public etiice if
majority wants him. In the sense that
two or three members of the new gov
eminent in Des Moines are politicians,
as governor Cummins of Iowa is poll
tician, or William J. Bryan is politi-
cian or your own Governor Mead is a
politian, you cannot eliminate the poll
IT, ms from popular government, The
Des Moines plan gives the absolute
power 10 the point-they rule. They
nominate whomsoever they please. If
they believe in man, though he is
called a politician, and give him ma
jority Of their votes, you cannot elimi-
nate him.
BUSINESSMEN DEFEATED.
On the first commission elected by
Des Moines are two or three men who
are called politicians. They are there
IS the result of the unexpected in the
first election. When they were chosen
the triumphant career of the business
mems committee OF 300 raised from
800 was checked. That committee had
framed the plan, aroused public senti-
ment for it, forced it through the legis-
lature, and then secured its adoption
Dy the people after desperate fighting.
10 make sure that the new system
would get off on the right foot, the
committee of J0O' also selected a
business mems ticket after weeks Of
celebration and not little wrangling
and appealed to the people to nominate
1t and elect it, but the people said no,
ana defeated every man on it.
clean, strong men were on this tick
Ct, skilled in business, all of them, and
certain to give an ideal administration
II elected.
But they were not elected. Some
snrewd opposition men who had been
ieit of the business mems ticket yelled
STATE" and soon others took up the
cry Labor scanned the ticket in vain
ior representative of its interests.
1here was none, and labor lined up
sohdly with the opposition. The most
popular man in Des Moines and a form
ef mayor was refused place because
ae Was considered 'politician, and
as thousands of friends were sore. A
.ormer alderman with fine record for
Asntlng the gang" and it's corruption
was rejected also because be was looked
VI u trouble maker So, in this way
sDu 'hat' the fight unjuStly became d
'ou'est between the business interests
W one hand and the mass of people on
sue other, and of course, the business
1'as ticket wa defeated, and by big
majorities.
THE VICTORS.
1nese are the men who were elected:
.0aa MacVicar-A keen expert in
u0'c'pal affairs, secretary of the
-ssgue OF American municipalities,