The Washington herald., 1914-06-10
Politicians Deceive Themselves.
By ERNEST HARVIER.

ny ERNEST HARvIER.
Politics is the science of today and tomorrow;
politicians who have prescience and take into
acepunt only yesterday and the day before. 1t is
this which distinguishes them from statesmen.
Had the Declaration of Independence been drafted
by politicians it would have been document wholly
made up of "compromises-as the payment of taxes
on tea the collection of church tthes, jury trials by
crown officers at the place of the commission of the
crime and establishment of local militia to resist the
Indians-and would have 'let it go at that"
The statesmen who drafted the Declaration and the
Constitution which supplemented it, dedicated the
American nation to liberty, human rights and the
equality of all before the law and their work with
few changes, has endured the test of century and
la quarter of the greatest progress which the world
has known
Recently there has been published the figures of
last years primary enrolment in New York State,
showing the number of enrolled Democrats to be a
fraction over 6ooooo of enrolled Republicans to be
a fraction over 10000 and of Progressives to be
a fraction over 10000 From this the Democratic
politicians deduce: That long the Progressives
keep up their battle New York will be Democratic
State, even though there are fewer Democrats than
Republicans and Progressives combined And the Re-
publican politicians reason from the figures, that
they alone are strong enough repel the Democrats
the Progressives, unable to make successful fight
single-handed will combine with the Republicans to
defeat the common enemy.
These are politicians arguments Because
(and it may be too, with women voters later on)
enrolls with party it does not follow that he will
vote its ticket. Last year, in Greater New York 20
per cent of the enrolled Democrats voted for Mr..
Mitchell and 90 per cent only for Judge Mccall In
1912, the year before, the Progressves, having no
enrolment whatever. polled nearly 100000 votes
II is not the voters who enrolled who decide
elections in New York, but the voters who not
enrolled.
These are the figures
Voters registered in New York State last
Enrolled as Democrats Progressves,
Republicans. Socialists, independence
League or Prohibitionists. ............. I,325S6o
Not enrolled. Observation-Disclosures. 362,27S
1t is these $4,000 unenrolled voters who will de-
eide this years election in New York, as the I'M
rolled voters in every other doubtful contested and
uncertain State will decide their elections.
Two great forces, operating. it may be said, on
parallel lines are Transforming voting conditions in
the United States-the who independent
enough on occasion, not to vote the ticket of the
party with which they enroll, and the large and grow
ing body of unenroled voters.
Why did 10000 New York electors refuse to
enroll or refrain from enrolling last yeara think
that the compelling and contributing is that
these voters distinguish no real difference between the
two old parties, controlled by the crooked or
reactionary interests which back of both.
Why do they think this? Possibly say it with
difhdence not to wound any sensibites-be-
cause it is So
For ten years more the voters of the State have
been demanding genuine direct primaries. Have they
got them? No. Why? Because the political lead
ers won't let them. 1t makes difference whether
the Republicans the Democrats are in control
of the legislature, for when the time both
combine to thwart and they have successfully thwarted
and -side-tracked the popular demand. Gov Johnson
of California, described many of the fights between
the old parties as sham battles" and that is what
many hundred thousand American voters think OF
them.
New York is not the only State in which unen-
rolled voters numerous enough to control the
election In Massachusetts there are 1900 In Mary
land probably the closest State the Union ESQ close
in fact that several times its Presidential electors
have been divided between two candidates), there
were eq2,27o votes registered last year and 1911
enrolled. More than 100000 Maryland voters did not
euioH SdulO1nld, State OF Scetl-
ing and uncertain politics. there are this year 1855
une1rolled voters.
1t may be said truly that not less than 10000
New York voters-and then some-( $4,000 enrolled
and soc 600 unenrolled) do not know Row. or for
whom, they will vote this year. They the voters
who will decide the election, but how they will
decide it is something which future events must
show and future happenings determine. That there
enough independent voters in clear sight to defeat
either of the old parties and if necessary both Of
them. is not question.
A personal force of large probable Importance in
influencing the alignment of the great body of de-
tached unattached voters will be Theodore Roose
welt. He embodies in the popular mind the idea of
courageous and uncalculating independence and of
prompt and clear political vision to an extent un-
rivaled by any other American.
The larger consideration of economic and humani-
tartan questions, the greater freedom from old-fash
oned partisanshp of the newspaper press the oper-
alton of civil service laws the agitation for equal
suffrage, the diffusion of political education and the
broader patriotism which the recognition of the world
power of the United States has stimulated, all COM