Barton County democrat., 1911-08-11
THE PEOPLES WAY.

1
door Of every situation. 1t is the
plummet which every political pi-
lot must use, who honestly wishes
20 fathOm the minds of his fel-
low men, and guide the ship of
party Alright. 1t is the magnetic
needle which must be pivOted be-
meath the cOmpass-glaSs of every
political organization that wants
10 know which way is North.
1t is a truth whose forms of ex-
preston are many because its
scope is wide as a nation of ninet
million people. Direct Primaries
Direct Election of Senators, the
safe guarding of elections by Pub.
LEFTY, Limitation of Campaign Ex
penSeS, with its elimination of un-
fair advantages of the wealthy
candidate, or the candidate back
ed by rich and powerful interests,
over the poor candidate, are all
conspicuous examples of the de-
termination of the people to- as
sert the sovereignty repOSed in
them by the Constitution.
The central principle underly-
ing all these phases of a univer-
sal movement, is transfer of gov
ernment, and of the party Organi-
zatiOn which is the material out
OF which government is made,
from the hands of the few to the
hands of the many. 1t is a re-
cLamatiOn, a reaff.rmatiOn, a re-
cOvery and putting in practice
Of the Democracy on which all
American institutions are found
ed. It's object is to enable the
people to act for themselves in all
matters wherein immediate az
ton by them is possible, and
where it is not. to secure genuine
representation of the people in
stead of the Oligarchy Of ma
chimes.
| The fayCrite plea of those who
are hostile to the people reserv-
Ing for themselves the rights in
herent in them, is that such pop
ular control means disruption of
party organization. On the con-
trary, it means a stronger party
organization because, being COM
posed of the people, denial of the
organization would be repudia-
tlOn of It's members by themselves
"a thing impossible. Take for
example the Direct Primary. 1t
Is mo more a nOvelty-it has long
been an established institution
IN many states. In all the history
of the Direct Primary, never has
party cohesion or discipline been
disrupted by it. Whatever dis
cOmfiture it has caused, was dis
cOmfiture of personal ambition
of the greed of individuals for
power. Party regularity and
party consistency have been
maintained and strengthened.
Party effectiveness has been uni
forty increased by tranSference of
the means of party direction to
the people, So long as parties ex-
ist, there must be leadership and
discipline. Rule of the party by
the people is the only source from
which genuine leadership can be
evolved. Self-diScipline is the
only discipline to which self
respecting party will submit.
The peoples control of party
tactics, is the corner stone of
public confidence in party meth
DDS. men and measures. We are
rapidly getting past the stage
when, if a party committee meets,
II party convention assemblies,
1t will be assumed in the popular
mind that such committee or con-
ventiOn is going to do what any
man or any group of men tells it
to do. The era of direct action
OF leadership that is responsible
because it is responsive, and rep
resmtative because it reflects the
Will OF the people, and must re-
celve its clean bib from the peo-
pie themselves or not at all, is at
hand. The stigma will be remoy-
ed from party mechanism be-
cause the cOgS, wheels and levers
of the mechanism without which
no party can be run, will be COM
posed of the people. The people
are bound to have their own way