The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-04
$;IFIRST COAL STRIKE DISORDER
WASHINGTON ON PARTY SPIRIT - IN D E F EVIDENT VOTE - SHOULD BELONG TO NON- P A R ITS AN OR GENERATIONS SCIENCE SOURCE OF PROGRESS.

Men, long since have consigned themselves to political parties, have given up the dispassionate and scien- tific consideration of measures. Think ing where it concerns government, is done along partisan lines.
 
 There have been some men, unor- ganized for the most part, who have formed what is called the independ- ent vote" Often this vote seems larger than 1t really is, because it Is swelIed by those who have a griev- ance. A man fails of promotion in one party, and turns to the other to gratify his feeling of revenge, or per- haps he hopes for better reward in his new political home.
 Washington looked with trepidation, and even with anger. upon the spirit displayed by partisans. In his fare we'll address he said:
 "I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state. with particular reference to the founding OA IhC4h oh SCOSHdphiCa1 tions. Let me now take a more comprehensive view and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party general1y.''
 Washington said in the same i'm mortal document: '"The common and continued mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the spirit and duty of wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administra- tion- It agitates the community with i'll founded jealousies and false alarms: kindles the anirnosity of one part against another; foments occas- ionally riot and insurrection-"
 
 These views have a application to conditions at home. The second largest organization Of women in America is the League of Women Voters, which receives members of all parties. tnstructs them to partici- pate tntel1igent1y in the deliberations of the party with which they are af- fliated. but which has for its main purpose the scientific and non parti- san study of public questions.
 
 Is such an organization for such a l purpose wholesome and useful, or should women preferably abstain l from every form of organized politi- l cal thought. except partisan political thought? washington's opinions are | informative and helpful, but not con elusive. Washington lived many years | ago. when they had no telephones or radio outffta A telephone is the product of care fully directed study of certain pheno- mena- Alexander Graham Bell did | not invent the telephone by coloring nature's facts. He found out those facts so that he could obey the law of the facts, and the telephone was the result.
 Centuries before men were able to invent telephone or much of any thing else they had highly developed art of logic, and dispute. in which men argued about things tout of their own heads" as the saying Is, and never in many thousands of years ar rived at any advanced stage of civil lization.
 It certainly Is an evil of govern ment that the minute a measure is proposed it become the object of party quarreIlings and bickerings, and almost nobody takes the trouble to study 1t dispassionately to under stand it, nor ascertain how 1t con- forms to the facts of nature and gov ernment.
 Wise laws really are inventions l almost the same as telephones and other mechanisIas are, and they ought to be scientifically promulgated. from observation of the facts and in obed- |, fences to the ascertained forces upon which human society is founded.
 The number of scientific minded people has been steadily increasing flor two hundred years or so. They are the source of human progress, comfort and safety. In these are in cluded the great religious teachers. for religion succeeds only as it IS in accordance with the law of God, who is the source of all law
 It would seem. therefore, as if non partisan organizations for the scien- tific understanding of government are on a somewhat higher mental ard re- igious plane than mere partisa n or ganiza tionS. 'SThe partisan spirit as Washing ton said, especially in governments purely elective. is a spirit not 70 be , encouraged. From natural tendency it is certain that there will always be enough of that spirit for every salu- tary purpose; and there being con stant danger of excess. the effort