Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-01-05

BURT EST
!. .s..s..s. 1. $3.50. :
and breadth of the land. l know the deg
radiation of machine politics, the wicked
ness of boss rule and all the evils that De-
foul our civic life. But l do not propose
to speak of these things, for the reason
that they are not the primary trouble.
1t is idle to treat symptoms and neglect
the disease.
Effect, Not Cause
political corruption is fundamentally
an effect and not a cause. II 1t exists II
is not the politicians, it is the people VINO
are to blame.
mo man has any right to lift his voice.
even In a whisper, against the degrada-
ton of any party, clique or community
who is not fulfilling the whole measure
of his duty to his party and to his state.
mo man has any right to cry out FOR a
better and truer utterance of democracy
who is II not Filling to assume the fun
responsibilities which such democracy
places upon its citizens.
~ am tired and sick of this useless
and juiceless babble about the corruption
in our civic life.
w nat Is II ali puL al lAiNlSeAAiStie
against every man of us who submits to
such political thievery and knavery rattle :
than take the trouble to crush it?
There is a fine phrase with which we
are familiar, to the effect that All gov
ernments derive their just powers from
the consent of the governed The state
ment 1t too narrow. All government de-
rives all it's powers, just and unjust, from
the consent of the governed.
Get What They Want
1.-The people of any country, especially
in a republic, get the kind of government
they actively want. IL there is corruption
in American politics today it is because
we who are the sovereign, are more will
ing to let political debauchery have its
way than we are to fulfill our functions
as good citizens.
THE general politics of any community
under a democratic form of government
is no more corrupt than the active politl-
cal conscience of that comm unity.
$50 long as men who are capable of be-
ing, and who ought to be, leaders in all
that Is best in civic aftairs are willing to
become the camp followers of the ma
chine and ring politicians, just so long
will the nation be c--eated of its divine
possibility, and the people come short of
their rightful heritage.
Il have little use and less respect for
the man who is a politician for revenue
only; but l have a far greater use and
far more respect for the meanest political
boss that crawls than / have for the
sleek, intelligent citizen who is willing to
take all that the country gives him of
opportunity, protection and liberty. but is
willing to give her practically nothing in
return in the way of personal political
service-sometimes not even his vote
. Can We Wonder7
"Can we wonder that American politics
is corrupt when, for instance, in an i'm
portant election in New York city, three
miles of brown stone front on a certain
fashionable avenue furnished but two
votes, while Cherry Hill and the Bend
furnished more votes than there were
voters?
And when a business man will de,ib-
erateiy excuse his neglect of his political
duties by saying that he finds that he
can make more money by attending to
his business than the city hall thieves
can steal from him Iii the same length of
time, what can you expect?
what is there to choose, so far as
patriotism is concerned between the ma
chinations of the blacklist political boss
that ever conceived a black political
scheme and the negative anarchy of such
a man?
Seat of Trouble
Here is the seat of the trouble; The
apathy of the educated, the indifference
OF the men who could do most for their
country If they would, the low political
ideals of those citizens whose highest
| duty it Is and whose chief joy It ought
to be, to play their whole part in the
civic life Of the nation.
Talk about the corruption in American
politics, II you will, but bring the odium
back where 1t belongs. to the shoulders
of the men who by their selfishness, by
their political sloth, by their shameless
negligence of their civic duties make
such a condition not only possible, but
| inevitable