The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-03
MACHINE RULE.

/ MACHlNE RULE.
There is plenty of evidence in all of
! the political news that comes from
| Washington these days that the DEM
| ocrats have most serviceable machines
| in operation in both the senate and the
I house of representatives. Indeed, they
| put to shame as being rather amateur
| ish the Aldrich machine OF other days
| that was so criticised for it's arbitrar-
| mess. and also the czarism of Uncle
! Joe Cannon. Under the rule of old
| king caucus a majority of he Demo-
Gratis in either branch of congress do
| the thinking for the whole of their
number and legislation is being framed
with a clock-like precision and smooth
ness at the dictates of the Democratic
leaders that must make the much
abused Republican leaders of other
days hang their heads with mortif1ca-
ton.
And where are the congressional pa
triots of yesteryear with their denun-
Citations of these higl-handed methods!
Most of their names are to be found
in the congressional directory. Pre-
| sumab they are still on the job of
saving the country. But they must be
working along different lines. 1t wasn't
so long ago. though, that they were in
sisting that the nation could only be
saved by the absolute destruction of
caucus and machine rule in the con-
duct of the business of the national
legislature. At that time, too, the
present Democratic leaders in con-
gress, who were then members OF the
minority, Joined in the fray for legis-
lative purity.
1t was impossible then to tell the
Republican Insurgents that the DEM
ocrats had joined forces with them for
the humiliation of "Cannonism' and
"Aldrichism'' merely for political pur-
poses and because they recognized IN
the move a fine opportunity to turn the
Republicans out of power and transfer
it to their own hands. Such an idea
was preposterous. The Democrats were
declared by the Republican reformers
to have the purest of motives and moth
ing but the best interests of the dear
people and their nation at heart
How the Democrats must have
smiled in their sleeves during the
memorable congressional battles that
finally destroyed the old Republican
organizati ton in the house of represen-
tatives and rendered inefficient the Re-
publican majority in the senate. You
see, the real idea of the Republican
insurgents" was that their party
would continue in power and that they
would become the congressional lead
ers in place of those whom they de-
posed or deprived of power with the
aid of the Democrats But they did
such a good job of traducing the Re-
publican party and its prominent rep
resentatives in congress that the peo-
pie of the country took them al their
word and turned "the rascals" out.
This was just what the Congratulated
Democrats figured on. They walked
into power over the remains of the Re-
publican party that had been scattered
about by internal strife and dissen-
sions.
Just how they have conducted them
selves on the assumption of power is
matter of current history. They have
substituted Democratic machines in the
senate and the house that are superior
to anything of the kind that the Re-
publicans ever established and oper-
ated. And the members of congress
ago in their criticism of such methods
are now as silent on this subject as are
the proverbial clans.
What a lot of bunk" there is in the
activities and pretensions of the poll
ticians of these United States.