The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-02-06
NEW POLITICS IN OLD BOTTLES

John Bright once declared it to
to be the duty of a statesman to en-
dcavor to make the past slide east
ly into the future" The sentiment
is one that might well be laid to
heart by our public men in a time
of political transition like the pres
ent Men speak of the changes. cur
rent and to come, as party changes
and in one sense such they are. In
several states the party that has long
been out of office now has the res
possibility of term of power. The
party control of the house of repre-
sentatives has been changed for the
first time in sixteen years. All this
looks like a sharp break with the
past, and at first the partisan aspect
iof it is thought of as the main thing
| But after all, parties are only the
| expression of the thoughts ana
| wishes of the people, and it is in the
public opinion which changes before
/ parties change that we find the real
| " significant forces which make for
the disappearance of one set of ideas
| and the emergence of another, To
render the passage from one to the
other easy and reassuring is, Mr..
Bright said, the statesman's task.
| 1t may be objected that all politi-
cal life is transition. No nation
stands still or can do so. 1t is true
| that the watch word of ultra-conser.
| natives has at times appeared to be
| that of Alison. the Tory historian
not too extrayagantly burlesqued in
| the paraphrase: Don't move; do
nothing and in everything consult
your grandmother" But the attitude
| of stubborn resistance to change
| merely because it is change never is
| long persisted in, because it never
long succeeds. Between those VIII,
would "let nothing alone and those
who would allow no alteration what
ever there exists in every democracy
great middle body OF opinion
which believes in cautious progress.
II would go heartily with Burke IN
praising those men in public life
who, with the disposition to con-
serve" have also the ability to i'm
prove
A mere transfer of the work of ad-
ministration from one party to ano-
Their may act so that the common
good may have seen times when "
would have been momentous.
When called up in either nation or
state to turn over the reins of power
to leaders of another party they may
act so that the common good may
be safeguarded and even enlarged.
In that way a time of political tran
sition may serve to emphasize the !
temporary nature of party as COM
pared with the permanent demands
of government.
And even if we think of the forms
| and offices of government, they must
seem of less account then the tenn
l
| as the latter change is there politI-
cal transition that really counts IL
was said of an English statesman
that he lost office, but continued to
hold power His political ideas, that
is, compelled acceptance at the hands
of his successor. We might easily
vary the old saying of Fletcher Sal
toun about the ballads and the laws
of a nation, and make il read Let
who will hold the offices of a democ-
racy, provided | may furnish It's po'
ltical ideals and driving forces In
the latter, so far as the United
States is concerned. there has been
| slowly accumulating change OF
which we seem now in fair way to
reap the results, no matter what par
tv may be in the ascendant, or what
leader in charge. The new ways OF
| looking at certain things-at corpor-
! ations, for example, and the nation
al guarding of forest and mine and
| water power-have come to us only
after much turmoil and by dint OF
years of agitation. 1t took cutlery
| and explosion to fasten the mind of
| the people upon them But they have
| come to stay, and the policies which
are wrapped up in them may be exc
cuted in a quieter spirit, If the ma
| ton is steady enough and patient
| enough. it may, under whatever par
| ty guidance, pass without shock or
serious jar from the fiery forging Of
new tools to their peaceful and pro-
ductive use in patriotic husbandry.
Century Magazine.
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The proposed constitution OF New