The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1916-07-07
REFORMATION M!!!!!
IN POLITICS
GROWTH OF DEMO-
CRATIC GOVERN
MENT
THE HEYDAY AND PASSING OF
B0SSlSM AND MACHINE
POLITICS.
Eessony AID Effieiesey Demand
ed---Shan The Pesple Rule!

When the American COLONIES threw ofi
the yoke OF Great Britain, they att@rnpt-
ed to establish great Repnblic in which
the people shcuid govern thems-lves.
For time they governed themselves and
everything went we'll. A the colonies
grew, they developed strong lsaders who
built mp great political machines which
eventually secured Q cousrolling infiu-
ence in all matters political. Under our
protective tariff great industriss were de-
veloped and thee also. through the po-
liticsl bosses. dominated she policies Of
the country
Our country is 20 rich in natural re-
sources and we grew 20 rapidly that our
p-ople generally were contsussd and were
hardly conscious that the government.
which they had founded md which, in
theory st least, they controlled, had
gradually pa.ed entirely from their con
troll and that Big Busins.s, shroush their
paid henchmen. the polisicaf bossss, had
secured complete contro, ofebe peoples
government.
OF course we still went lhroush the
dlRnifed farce of meeting IN neonventions
and fisttsred ourselves With the belief
that we were selecting our rulen and
formulating our Policiss. bs6 tAose on
the inside knew that sseryta w. -'cut
and dried" bsfore hapd, a that no
candidates would be nomiusted or uuolicss~
adopted that were not entirely acceptable
70 the corporations.
THE sPOIT.s SYSTEM.
To the victor belongs the spoiIs."
This principle was frt enunciat-d by
that "patron-taint" of Democrscy-An-
drew Jackson. It's effect was IN dismiss
from the public service hundreds of eff
cienr employees and to place in their
steals large numbers Of incompetent
people Whose only recommendation wss
that they belonged to the successful party
and had a political "pull."
This Wholesale change OF employees.
seriously impaired the public s~rvice.
tended To an extravigsnt expenditure of
public funds and brought about the de-
mand on the pert OF the people for civil
service reform.
Under the Republican party the evil
service attained q high state of efficiency.
While our Democratic friends have tscit-
~ seqniesced in this benign institution
when the Republicans were in power.
they have never really believed in it,
principles, especially As applied 10 them
selves, and ~henever the turn Of the 10
liticsl scales have placed them in control
OF the government. they have lost no
time in ousting 10y Wholesale those OF the
opposite political faith no matter how
efficient they were.
POLITICAL BOSSES AND MACHINE
POLITICS.
20 strong had the political bosses BE-
came and such powerful machines had
they built up that their influence erten
ded from the smallest municipality clean
through the county, state and national
governments. Our lsw-making bo-iie~
came completely under the domination
OF the bossrs and all legislation. munici-
pal, state and national was formulated
IN the interest Of the great corporations
and At the expense Of the common people
10 arrogant had our political masters
become that when erpostulst<d with in
the interest Of the people they insolentIy
exclaimed: The people he dsmnedf''
Boz Tweed. Richard Croker and Tam
any Hall in New York. Quay IN Penn-yI-
vsnis, Geo. Il. Cox IN Ohio and Abe
keuf in Cslifornis are . coterie of poIit-
icsi gisnts who controlled the destiny of
this country for pears. Unbridled grsft
stalked throughout the land. The p~opIe
grosned under . burden Of tsxe. that
vss getting heavier and heavier. The
enfxntile industries had now become
x'ssDtic octopuse- whose tentacIe- stretch
ed 70 the remote-t parts Of the land and
sucked the very life blood Of the nation.
The cost Of living mounted higher and
higher.
The people at lest began to realize that
their government had ps--sd entirely
from their hands. Cries Tor relief from
thee awful conditions we're heard from
one sectios Of the country 70 the other
and political bv~ began 10 he de<hroned
Our lsw-mskins bodies percsived the
Storm and the initiative and referendum.
she recall, nomination OF U. \. senators
By The people and tiss ssass- vide primary
60 snms of shs msasuss insaissssd ~