Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-06-02

pan anu oie SCI VI party principles
against another, as of individual,
against the" party. And in contest
of this sort the party in power natur.
ally suffers the most. Because wher
the machine is the slogan, the pub.
lie naturally thinks only of the INA.
chine In power. And the word Itself
| Is very convenient one to use in de-
rision. Repeated with sufficient fire.
quency it strikes the public ear az
| something to be condemned. The as
| pirant for office rings the changes on
| the party machine" which he pro-
poses to smash, and at the same time
| stimulates the courage of his fol-
lowers by telling them what an eff
| fective reorganization" he is creating
And right here lies all of theA difference
| between the terms. Your opponent
has machine" You have an .'or-
ganiza tions. Viewed candidly there is
no difference. and either is good or bad
as it's purpose and it's method is good
or bad. No man of sufficient calibre
to make a useful official runs for Of
flee without effecting the best Or
ganiZatiOn he can. No party, large or
small, exists without an organization
If it is fairly conducted with full re-
gard for the rights of others, it is be-
yond criticism. 1t is the only way in
which any cause can triumph If it
undertakes to deprive others of their
rights. if it puts the interests of the
individual above those of the party and
of the public, if it is intolerant of all
opposition simply because it is op-
position it is rot beyond criticism
of parties. Every Republican form of
government must be. When We depart
from it we shall either approach a con-
dltion of practical helplessncss border
ing on anarchy. where there is no re-
sponsibility for legislation because the
Legislative body is made up of small
disintegrated masses. none of them
with strength enough to act by them
selves and forced either not to act at
all or TO act with others under such
conditions as the voters could not pos
sibly have foreSeen, VIC shall approach
monarchy, when one individual stron-
ger than the others, wrests the func-
tons OF, government from the great
mass of the peoples representatives.
Neither alternative is desirable Nei-
thcr is consistent with effective repre-
sentative government. We have be-
come a great and powerful and pros
porous nation under party government.
1t is practical because it gives the
public a chance to judge policies and
acts and to place the responsibility. 1t
is practical because the party in power
usually is cohesive mass. able to dis
cuss details, to harmonic differences
and then to act as unit in legislation,
assuming the responsibilities that be-
long TO it and producing the results
that it stands for.
1t makes no difference whether YOU
call it a machine or an organization
If it is organized, it is able to do the
things it stands for. 1t is able to ini-
tiate policies and to determine what it
stands for. And these must be deter
mined by argument and compromise.
II is idle to suppose that every detail
Of legislation. or any great amount of
it even. beyond the PRONUNCIATION of
the, most general principles. can be
mapped out in advance for a country
of eighty millions of people scattered
over IS states.
Legislation must be the result of ar
gument anG compromise This is as
business enterprises. And he is usu-
ally not a very useful man who can
see TO virtue in his associates who dis
agree with him. If he is wiser than all
others he may be justified in refusing
to meet them on any ground. But this
is not Otter, tie case. If he is looking
only to personal advantage. he is not
safe man to follow. If he is simply
so dogged in his disposition that he
honestly cannot see good in others, he
is not to he blamed for contributing to
disorganization and perhaps to stag
marion. But he is not useful.
We are now confronted by The spec
tacle of party in Congress. ncminally
largely in the majority, so situated
that the majOrity on purely political
questions is constantly shifting. that
the administration is in constant Gan-
ger of being defeated in legislation
that four-fifths of it's party represen-
tatives believe it. ! do not refer to the
revision of the rules. because the rules
that govern a legislative body should
in no sense be a partisan question UNI
less made SD in d clearly expressed is
suc before the people. But on meas
ureS on which alton was promised the
public it is impossible for the majority
party to determine as a party the de-
tails of such action and to enact legis-
Iation. This is due to the inability of
a Few Individuals 10 act with the ma
jority of their own party. And this Is
what raises the present issue of party
government.
y senator sees an opportunity TO
make temporary capital in his own
state by asserting his own individudli-
ty at any cost He goes to his state
calital and discusses the Tariff bill. i'll
which, by the way. the West accused
New England Of getting all the best OF
II. And now v-e will be asked to de-
feat our congressman for their action
on that same bill. He tells them that
he wanted free lumber. out OF which
the homes Of the people are built" But
he voted against the merest fractional
reduction of the duty on glass, q pro-
duct of his own state. Is this the act
of a statement or the argument of a
demagogue? A group of senators re-
new their attack on the administration
railroad bill because they were slight
ed in invitations to a conference at the
yxy,;to IIOnse. Have they less faith in