Licking Valley courier., 1915-09-30
A, o. STANLEY.

fr''N II tE9 IT. AerS, by adopting
v ~. a Dissenting voice, platform
spec aaally plelging its nominees to
Il iehest service Of the common.
wealth. Not the least important of its
CT ~ nts vas an unequivocal pledge
to b "Dpose that most insidi'
o. NJ. L. -,ery righteous reform
"invisible government" On the same
day, the Constitutional Convention Of
the State of New York heard from
the lips of its President, Elihu Root,
a most startling declaration, the more
su,pr's'r" Non you consider the pre-
vious lo -af lisnments of the speak
err and the character of his auditors.
"What is" said Mr.. Root, "the
Government of this State, the Gov
ernment of the Constitution? Oh,
no; not half of the time or half
way. = = the Government Of the
State has presented two different
lines of activity, one of the consti-
tutional and statutory officers of
the State, and the other-they call
them party bosses-the system they
call invisible government" . I"
%" . 1t is all wrong. 1t is all
wrong that the Government not au-
thorzed by the people should be
continued superior to the Govern.
ment that is authorized by the peo.
pie"
Says Mr.. Root, the fake government
even in the imperial State of New
York for years has been stronger than
the true government. The inordinate
power Of such government is not
realized because 1t is not seen. Were
all its selfish, and sinister purposes,
all its secret operations, all its null
titudinous misdeeds exposed in their
naked hideousness to the view of hon
est men, they would recoil in disgust
and horror from this modern and
moDstrous perversion Of popular gov.
ernment.
Every public servant, every politi
cal organization seeks preferment or
power, either through public approval
or the secret favor of this all.per
vading and unseen influence known
as invisible government Public
men and political organizations have
displayed a morbid ingenuity in their
efforts to secure the approval of an
unsuspecting public by gllttering gen.
eralities and meaningless platitudes
while filing their slush funds from its
inexhaustible Golfers. An alert and
discerning public demands not high
sounding professions Of party loyalty
but II demands explicit promises, the
adoption of concrete reforms and the
remedy of known abuscs-the re
straint OF the activities Of the lobby.
ist and the lawlessness of the trust
Such legislation while demanded
by the people is peculiarly obnoSious
TO those who are to he affected by t.
and too often incur the implacablc
and noiseless hostility of invisible
government The makers of party
platforms, and the candidates upon
them often find themselves between
the conflicting forces which Root so
graphically described, the people dc.
manding a pledge of faithful service
hnd the interests the omission Of such
pledges. For that reason, more sig.
hificanee should attach to the omis.
Sious In political platform than in
the things which are actually said.
From the things which are said, Won
can. In q measure, determine what
the party proposes to do for the peo.
pie, and from those things which aro
omitted, you may know with reason
able certainty what the same party
is about to do TO them. Thus 1t will,
be seen there is an endless conflict
between the advocates of honest gov.
ernment and these emissaries Of plum.
der and privilege, who come to party
leaders like Nicodemus by night, in,
sisting upon silence and covert un
derstandlng to commit the party "a
no policy which may result In the
punishment of their crimes or the pro