' . * !
Cbe Conservative.
UOSSISM
. , . . , -
party aud the Ohi-
cugo-plntforni party nre governed by
bosses ill nearly all of the states of the
Union. And in every one of those
states there is a revolt against siich
brutal and corrupt domination , by the
most thoughtful and intelligent voters.
Civilization is the development of indi
viduality. Bossisin and machine poli
tics are the death of independent citi
zenship and therefore inimical to civil
ization.
Among savages , chiefs and head men
are permitted to do the thinking for the
whole tribe. The two greatest political
organizations of the United States are
practicing the methods aud tactics of
savages. The masses as in barbarism
are forced to think and vote as the
chiefs and braves direct. They think
and direct only to promote personal and
selfish ends.
The inexorable selfishness and despot
ism of machine politics in every state are
evolving discontent in the republican
and democratic parties. Out of tliis in
telligent revolt against rotten rules and
rotten methods there can be aud should
be evolved a realignment of the best
voting citizenship of the republic.
If just government must depend upon
the consent of the govprued that consent
must be given by an intelligent and vir
tuous people. The consent of ignorance
and vice is not a safe foundation for
decent , or even endurable , government.
The consent of brutal and dishonest
bosses , though affirmed and ratified by
the ballots of their ignorant and vicious
henchmen and retainers , is not a sound
basis for either local or national admin
istration.
"When the consent of convicts in peni
tentiaries is used as a base for laws
regulating , and rules governing penal
institutions , and such laws and rules are
found efficient and favorable to good
order and discipline , it will be demon
strated that the consent of vice and ig
norance in cities , states and the republic
is a splendid foundation for all govern
ment. Intelligent consent , patriotic
deliberate , honest consent , may be gooc
to build upon no other consent can be
THE CONSEUVA
FIENDS OUT
OF FRIENDS. TIVE notices witl
sincere sympathy
the painful paroxysms into which some
populist papers have been plunged by
the words "fiends of free silver" whicl
should have read "friends of free silver'
as telegraphed from Now York City in
a recital of the doings and sayings o
the National Sound Money League
The phrase "fiends of free silver" has
been attributed to the editor of THE
CONSEKVATIVE and although ho has wit
nessed the conversion of seeming
"friends" into seeming "fiends" once or
twice during the lost fifty years , he
pleads not guilty to this impeachmen
'or a verbal misdemeanor. The World-
lerald will therefore calm itself and re-
umo its placid and ineffectual efforts in
) ehalf of the free coinage of silver at
sixteon-to-ono and give a verification of
ts own forecasts of commercial ruin
made during the incandescent campaign
of 1896. ThoWorld-Hernld is consistently
; he most constant , earnest and zealous
advocate of the money fallacies and
3ryanarchy in general in the whole
United States.
THIS FEDERAL , 1'ARTY.
The march of events and the expressed
opinions of thoughtful men of all par
ries , point to the coining of a new polit
ical organization.
Of the three comprehensive names as
sociated with our political history , fed
eral , republican and democratic , the
first , and only available one , best signi
fies the ends to be attained and recalls a
party whose record stands pre-eminent.
The faults as well as the merits of the
liistoric federal party are understood.
It is true that Jefferson declared the
name odious.
Still there remains the fact of its
great service in organizing the depart
ments of government ; of the enlight
ened spirit in which it grasped the
science of safe and moderate adminis
tration , and the true correlation of lib
erty and law.
With this , which time has confirmed
as the true American spirit the genius of
Jefferson was never at variance.
It is this spirit which it is sought to
revive in the now federal party.
To meet present conditions the fed
eral principle as opposed to oligarchy
aud imperialism offers a rational incen
tive to party action.
Today the industrial question is on.
Natural development has brought con
ditions which render the old arguments
irrelevant ; free competition , individual
initiative , are of the post.
Today there stands between the people
ple and the Federal government a domi
nant power ( government de facto ) arbi
trary and irresponsible.
All the important measures of gov
ernment , concerning tariff , foreign rela
tions , internal improvements , auc
finance are necessarily considered with
relation to , and passed after conference
with that power.
These measures affect the body politic
only in a reflected way , modified by the
laws of trade and relations of employer
and employee.
The position is anomalous.
Palliative measures are inadequate
aud out of harmony with our form of
government.
Class legislation , parentalism , usurpa
tiou , benevolent or otherwise , are ab
horrent.
Therefore there has been submitted as
a fit subject of consideration for a new
party a proposition to further an amend
nont to the constitution , adding an
article ( XVI ) , establishing representa
tive departments of arts and industries
educational and administrative ) , and
enabling congress to exorcise govern
mental powers through these depart
ments. The suggestion is made in a
spirit of good will , with faith in demo
cratic principles and loyalty to our fed
eral institutions as the statutory expres
sion of those principles , to the end that
at all times , whether at leisure or at
work , the citizens of the United States
shall be subject only to the limitations
of democratic self-government.
It is safe to assume that the state is
fully competent to conduct the indus
tries , and the reasons for our system of
immediate self-government , representa
tives aud constituencies apply as well to
vocation as to location.
We have seen demonstrated in our
public affairs the truth that , "Not to
proceed is to certainly go backwards. "
May it never be left for this country to
exemplify the melancholy fact that of
all governments a sterilized democracy
is the worst.
The birth of a new party appears to
be near at hand. The question is
whether it is to be negative or positive ,
to follow or lead , to engage in a stern
chase or to steer its own course for a
given port.
EARLY MISSOURI RIVER NAVIGATION.
In our issue of April Oth , we quoted a
statement from The Kansas City Star ,
made in connection with the obituary
notice of Mrs. Mary Chouteau , to the
effect that she ascended the Missouri
with her husband before that stream
had been navigated by steamboats.
This was a manifest error , as Major
Long came up in 1819 as far as Council
Bluff ( Nebraska ) in the steamboat
"Western Engineer. " Ho also made a
short excursion up the Kansas. If there
was any earlier use made of steamboats
on western waters THE CONSERVATIVE
would like to bo informed of it.
A correspondent in Leavonworth
writes that ho thinks navigation to Fort
Leaven worth , which was established in
1827 , was continuous after 1832.
In Nebraska City
a footpad was ar
rested for assaulting , knocking down
and pounding into insensibility for the
purpose of robbery , a drunken Indian.
The culprit was arrested upon arraign
ment ho pleaded , "not guilty. " His de
fence was :
"This heathen Indian needed Christi
anity and civilization. It was my duty
to pound whiskey out of and piety into
him ; and for this practical philanthropy
I am entitled to compensation ; ho is a
Filipino ; I am a saintly American. I
am. a 'benevolent ossimilator' and not a
'criminal aggreasor. ' "