The Washington herald., 1915-01-06
POLITICS CAUSE
OF ROTTENNESS"
Senator Morris Says People
Are Clamoring for Non
partisan Government.
CLAPP HITS AT PARTIES
Declares Preferential Ballot Will Aid
in Uniting Progressives of
All Factions.
HITS AT PARTIES

President WilsoR might Tenounce al
Iegiance TO The Democratic party tOmOr-
row. announce that the rest of his ad-
ministration shall be nonpartisan, and
find the American people fully prepared
for his radical step. declared Senator
Norris. of Nebraska. in an address on
the ''rottenness of politics last night
bcfOra The National Popular Government
League at the New willard.
Political machines and bosses ana
many men high in public life do not
know it and won't believe it asserted
Norris. but tho people know that when
We remove politics from some big ques-
tion We do ii because We want to get rid
OF rottenncsS.
when We want a Postmaster General
I'VE don't seek Postmaster General, DTt
hunt up politician and call him Post
master General.
Republican Doctor:
Suppose the Pennsylvania Railrosh,
when il needed a conductor. began seek
ing a man who believed in the tariff.
when our baby is sick and We need
a doctor we don't telephone for a Re
publican
10 Senator Clapp. OF Minnesota, declared
that the United States. divided by the
Democratic and Republican parties, pre-
StlllS the UlOSl BIOlrSalut anu dbSNAh
spectacle of all the nations. He said the
chief fundamental issues between the
parties is whether duty on a yard of
cloth should be : II or "a cents.
Before we can get the preferential
ballot to cure political Ills declared
Clapp, we must tear away old cher
ished traditions, the blind fetish of party.
The preferential ballot and union of
popular government leagues third party
advocates and workers for woman suf-
frage will be the best means of uniting
the progressives Of all parties"
In these words Senator Clapp answered
the question topic of the meeting: How
can progressives OF all parties get to-
Cether for control of the government?
Senator CIapp added: Isn't 1t crime
that after 1860 years with Christianity as
inspiration the destinies of SO,OOOOO
in this nation should be guided by
five third-rate politicians? In the SEN
ate when the Republicans controlled We
would have a committee of seventeen
with nine forming the partisan majority.
OF that partisan majority five was
majority When that five agreed the
question was a party question, and 10
vote against it was treason
Assistant Secretary of Agriculture
Vrooman delivered an address Of dis
agreement with the views of Senator's
Norris and Clapp about elimination OF
partsanship. VroOman said:
Il believe parties have a place in the
economy Of the universe. When the party
ceases being an instrument for good, l
shall throw my share on the scrap. l be-
lieve in being master, not slave.
Need Preferential Power.
preferential power to vote-both at
primaries and polls-is needed more than
any other thing to bring together into
one great force all prOsressives in and
out of parties.
Let's stop hopping on Wall Street.
Let's quit knocking the men up on Cap
itoI Hill. Let's get down to brass tacks
and cure the faults of the voters them
selves
The meeting was concluded with an
address by Edmund B. Osborne, manu-
facturer of MOntclair. ~ J. He said:
There is no sign of disappearance Of
political parties, but there are signs of
disappearance of the slavery of men to
parties
The feature of the afternoon meeting
was an address by Charles Edward Rus
sell, writer. lecture, and former news
paper man. who charged that newspa-
pers, magazines, the Chautauqua, and
moving pictures are controlled by big
business.
had been holding its second national con-
ference for two days, adjourned after the
evening session.