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Show POLITICS. ,"Turn the rascals out" and "To the victor be-longthe be-longthe spoils" arc two great principles of the American political system that find acceptance among leading members of all political parties. Just where these great political principles originated originat-ed is hard to say; they have been with us ever since memory of things began. They may have originated originat-ed in their present verbal expression only a decade or two ago, but the principles are older than their present form. The principles come down to us from ancient times when men were running around naked in the woods and robbing each other after a battle with stones and clubs. The principles were then distinctively honorable. The barbarians fought for what the other fellow had, and the victor of course threw the loser out of his cave and appropriated ap-propriated his goods. But just how these principles can be justified in American politics is a problem to which the attention atten-tion of the politicians and the people is directed. We elect public officials and call them public servants. ser-vants. Public servants are supposed to serve the public honestly, uprightly and in the best interests of the public. If, perchance, any newly elected official offi-cial finds some one who is capable and experienced occupying a minor appointive position, there is an immediate conflict between the political principles under consideration and the duty the official owes the public. The rascal generally is turned loose, and the sturdy partyism of the new servant vindicated. vindi-cated. In a municipal campaign there usually are no other principles at stake. First, turn the rascals out, and then grab the spoils. The idea represented by these principles contains the cause of graft, jobbery, job-bery, bribery and corruption which are supposed to be a part of the government of American cities. These principles have made the word "politician" obnoxious to a great many people, and have turned them away in disgust from the whole business. There is a saner method of electing city officials than that calling for turning the rascals out and grabbing the spoils. But that system first of all eliminates the rascals and the spoils and provides for government rather than a distribution of plums. It requires no political test, no party regularity, no standing in with a clique to make one eligible to hold public office. Honesty and competency, the best men to fill the positions, no more rascals, no more spoils these are the things to be accomplished accom-plished in municipal affairs, and the new plan of government by commission offers a method of securing se-curing them. ' It is probably true that there never was less corruption cor-ruption in politics than now. The house cleaning which the nation has undergone during the past few years has left the body politic cleaner and better than it was before. But there is always danger of a reversion to old conditions, and it is the duty of the American people to lay aside their good nature, na-ture, their indifference, their willingness to be exploited ex-ploited by the politicians, and establish the system of municipal government under which responsibility responsibil-ity is fixed and which offers small comfort to men looking for political snaps. j |