The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1916-09-13
"Redd-not to contradict and
.c0nfnte, nor to believe and Toxic for
granted, but to weigh and consid-
eY."-Lord Bacon.
THE ms AND THE OUTS

In every campaign it is very much
more difficult for the people who are
not in power to put men out of of
flee than it is for those III office to
stay there. This is true for several
reasons.
One is a singular patience on the
part of the American people that is
willing to let things slide rather than
make a fuss if only a half show of
satisfactory condition is made. 1t is
always a chore to make the American
voter overcome his inertia sufficient
ly TO take a hand in his own affairs
at the polls.
Another reason why it is so easy
for the ms to stay in, is because they
have in their hands the immense ad-
vantage, often unscrupulously used,
of patronage. BY the time a party
or a faction or an individual has been
in power a little while he has been
able to extend favors which help to
surround him with a corps of work
ers whom he can call on in times of
distress. He has only to fly the sig
nal at election time, and the benefic-
iaries of his ~largness hustle out to pro-
long their lives as his p%roteges.
The French have a fine saying to the
effect that gratitude is a lively n
of favors to come, and certainly in the
political world no definition could be a
better fit. 1t is the lively sense that
appointments are to come after cleo
ton that helps to bind every a%ppointee
to the man who gets him his job,
whether it is the clerk of the polling
place or the ambassador to Great
Britain.
Patronage has played a very dis
graceful part in the political life of
America. Until a scheme is devised
where the man elected to. office is de-
prived of the chance to bestow ia
vors as a reward for assiduity in cam
paigns there is little hope that the re-
suits of an election will really and
truly show the preferences of the
great mas of voters.
In every election with which voters
are familiar it has been no doubt
clear that all branches of the govern
ment which could be marshalled to Sc
cure votes have been set at work
Systematically and usually at the
expense to gather in
votes. The ms always poll their max
imum strength because they are or
ganized; because they have in their
Of government; and because their call
for help is never neglected by the
corps of hangers-on whose expecta-
tons of future benefits are based on
financial profits in past allegiance.
On the other hand the Outs rarely
)Oll their maximum strength. Perhaps
hey never do. They are not organ
zed. They have no weapon like pat
'onage to hold over a crowd whose
4 ~ 10 thuo "hipPCu ihlO q uoC-
I'll activity. They have not at their
Command a small army of government
employees who can use the govern
nent's time at government expense to
for votes and to brighten or
ajole new votes. This use of public
mployes for perpetuating in office an
ndividual party, or faction is the
reat and chief disgrace of the sadly
Representative government of our
ay.
Ia the election which will come off
November next patronage will play
q immense part from the choice of
Ie president of the United States to
70 choice of coroner in counties.
resident Wilson and his party have
EN- in power four years. And never
any administration has patronage /;
so obviously distributed with the
of catching great blocks Of votes. =