Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-15
AS ONE WOMAN SEES lT
Principles OF Party Politics Summed
up-Jobs That May Be Bought
for Cash or Perqulsltes
BY SARAH ID. JOyyRIE

| his ballot as member Of some political
party. He need only vote for the candidates
| he likes in that party and he may substitute
| names of those he likes In other parties at
| general election. At a primary election.
| OF course, he must vote for the majority of
| the candidates of one party and he must
| In order to get q ballot. Within that party
before certain date and nfter complying
with certain regulations he can see to 1t that
certain candidates that he favors are placed
| on the official ballot Of his party, and II
| he takes a great deal of trouble and spends
a considerable sum in advertising those can
didates he has reasonable chance OF regis
| tering reasonable vote in their favor. in
some cases majority vote If he has under
| stood his business
preached by the leaders Of both the Re-
publican and Democratic Parties in his To-
cality up the State with the proposition that
he should run for Congress from that dis
trict. 1t was understood that whichever
party ran him he would be practically un-
molested by the other, but the cost of the
campaign was fixed at about S35, 900. He
was given the choice Of paying that down or
Of assuring the leaders of both parties the
control of certain appointments that would
eventually come under his influence to pro-
cure from the Federal Government. These
appointments to offices totaled UP a larger
sum than. 35,O00 but that was counter
balanced by the fact that by tho time the
lug to them out of their official salaries they
would have spent about $35 ,000
'NHE suggested candidate could not "see"
L the proposition and the offer was taken
elsewhere. The man who accepted il made
avery very good thing out Of it both for himself
and for the district and eventually for the
state. During the war he was even ma
tional figure ] have sometimes wondered
whether he paid the cash down or gave the
equivalent in appointments. 1t is entirely
possible that in either case he saw to It that
the money or the appointments were well
used.
But the whole episode threw very prac-
ncal light on what going into politics
means Tor an ordinary citizen. II he skips
gets one Of the high up jobs, he does not land
oy vaulting or by flying. He has to be put
there by party, and the persons in the
party who want the place as we'll as those
who work for him to have the place have to
get something from him or through him
that they want.
TNHE persons who work in party do not
L do it for love of glory. Martyrs on the
mission helds may look for heavenly crowns.
patriots on the battlefelds may look for
heroes crowns, and orators at the hustings
may, be satisfied with applause, but the men
who are in the political parties for life Job
expect something different from martyrs
ClQDlpt
of the multitude.
They may love their country and be pa
tri0tic with the best of u.s. but they are in a
business and must be paid by that business
or go broke Hence the thing that goes
by the very significant name of practical
politics.
I1NliE reform politician and most of the
l. new voters among the women have n
tendency, when they think of going into
politics. as proposition for themselves. to
look at the matter as though they were going
to town meeting of the New England tyne
to use their franchise for the affair of the
moment with the same freedom that they use
their umbrellas when 1t rains. They con
reive OF government as actually the will of
program of parties carried out eventually by
the vote of the majority--a very different
thing
Tn LOOKING back over the history Of
i party in the United States two fguras |
stand out as directly responsible for the speed
WIN when the voters masSed themselves into
two adverse camps. Alexander Hamilton
vivid personality and clear reasoning and
adroit statesmanship made the ideal of Fed
eral power and protective Datcrnalism
popular in New England and in the Middle
States: while Thomas Jefferson made the
idea or state sovereignty and democracy
based on personal worth popular among the
OF tne southern States
The fact that the South produced raw mn.
terials and wished to import manufactured
ones made low tariff logical desire
The Jettersontan ideal of democracy and
of States rights fitted the mind of the
Southern gentleman planter to perfection.
interference in his private concerns, and at
the same time gave his practical position as
autocrat and slave owner theoretlc atmos-
phere of genial simplicity.
After the Civil War the fact that the
has compelled the white South to stand firm
as Democrats. In the North and West the
line up of the parties has been brought about
by less general causes.
MOST elections are run for candidates.
1H1 most men vote for candidates rather
than for theories of government, Tho
strength OF the political parties is their
organization before an election and their
keeping faith with their workers after an
election.
The platforms Of the two big parties are
constructed TO lose az few votes as possible.
1t is left to the minority parties to push new
causes and to the freak parties to lead for
iorn hopGs 10 thc point where they look like
winning hopes, when they are adopted with
alacrity by both of the big parties
T HEARD the other day the above very able
summing up of the history of party
government III the hlted states. For the
new voters, II party politics IL at times
somewhat disillusioning, its study is none
the less necessary one if we are to under
stand our country, for it belongs to the
very warp and woof of our country's history
It Is disilusioning because the party
leaders have little faith In the theory OF
democracy-government of the people by the
people-they have faith only in themselves
The study of the history Of parties is not
disillusioning, for it proves that the party
leaders who attempt TO be party bosses are
wrong. 1t is the people who actually rule,
and woe to the party boss who fails to hear
their voice