L I
'Cbe Conservative.
POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE.
PART n.
[ A paper read before "Tho Philosophical So
ciety , " of Denver , Feb. 14 , 1001 , by Louis B.
Ehrich , of Colorado Springs , Colo. ]
As illustrative of this class , I remind
you of the banquet which was given in
Denver by eminent Colorado republicans
a few days ago. It was a gathering of
worthy gentlemen , gifted with ability
and brains , and possessed of standing
and influence. They were citizens who
are linked to the state with ties of in
terest and of loyalty. It might fairly
be supposed that such a body of citizens
would employ the opportunity of their
gathering to discuss some of the many
public questions which have an im
mediate bearing on the welfare of this
state. Nothing was apparently further
from their thoughts. After the chair
man had toasted "the greatest states
man of the age William MoKinley , "
the toastmoster took the floor , and , in
the course of his address , he struck the
keynote of the banquet in saying : "We
are against the democratic party. We
are for the republican party. " This
noble sentiment is certainly clear-cut
and very illuminating.
Night before lost several hundred re
publicans gathered in this city to com
memorate the birth of Abraham Lin
coln. A telegram was read , signed by
three distinguished republican senators.
One might suppose that the memory of
a great man would inspire great
thoughts. I read to you the thrilling
sentiments expressed by these eminent
American statesmen :
"Washington , D. 0. , Feb. 12 , 1901.
Hon. O. D. Ford :
We regret extremely that we cannot
attend the banquet of your club on Lin
coln's birthday , as public duties require
our presence here. We congratulate
you on the splendid contest for republi
can principles which was carried on in
Colorado last fall , and we feel certain
that you will continue the struggle until
your state again returns to the republi
can fold.
J. B. FORAKER.
WILLIAM P. FRYE ,
M. A. HANNA. "
The tone and purpose of these politi
cal banquets lead me to speak of a very
great defect in our national system ,
namely , the absorption of state issues
by national issues. Ever since the
formation of our government there lias
been the most jealous defense of state
rights against Federal encroachment ,
and yet , under the influence of party
machinery , every state in the union has
been robbed of its highest political right ,
the right to devote its uninfluenced poli
tical energies to the solution of its own
state and municipal problems. Why
should our differing opinions on the
tariff or on the Philippine question con
trol our votes when we select men to
legislate for' this state ? Why should
such opinions on national issues influence
us in the slightest degree when , for ex
ample , wo vote for a district judge , or a
county treasurer , or an alderman , or a
road overseer ? If it were not for the
federal patronage which is to bo be
stowed , and if the professional poli
ticians did not seek to keep the state or
ganizations constantly drilled and exer
cised for use in the national campaign ,
would such a foolish and unjustifiable
perversion of the highest interests of the
state and of the municipality ever be
tolerated ? Every state should seek to
regain its political independence by
bringing about the widest possible disassociation -
association of state and national politi
cal parties. No state , county , or city
official should ever be voted for at a
presidential or congressional election.
We have , in this state , banished the
party emblems from our ballots. We
should also remove the national party
names from every ballot for state , coun
ty , or city officers. In other words , we
should adopt every possible expedient
to prevent the unnecessary sacrifice of
the state's welfare which is now made
for the purpose of building up the
national party machine.
Returning from our slight digression ,
let us consider the other influences
which hold our citizens firmly fixed in
the traces of one or the other party.
First , as to our foreign-born voters. The
German immigrant is likely to
drift to the German farming com
munities of the Western and Mid
dle states. If so , he will in all
likelihood become a republican. The
son of Ireland is almost sure to settle
down in one of the large cities. In
fluenced by the overwhelming majority
of his countrymen , he will doubtless
become a democrat. The Swede or Nor
wegian will probably find his way to
states like Minnesota , in which his coun
trymen have gathered , and the republi
can party will very likely win his
allegiance. Once started with a party ,
the newcomer will soon become the
reader of a partisan newspaper which
will naturally present only one side of
public questions. In this way he be
comes firmly wedded to his party , the
tendency to allegiance steadily growing
under the force of habit , until he be
comes the component part , however in
significant , of a political machine.
Another element of party-fixity is
geographical location. In the last forty
years the southern states have been
solidly democratic. Opposed to this
soh'd south there is a very solid fraction
of the northern states. In these same
forty years the states of Maine , New
Hampshire , Vermont , ' Massachusetts ,
Rhode Island , Pennsylvania , Ohio , Iowa ,
Michigan and Minnesota have invariably
supported the republican presidential
nominee , and Wisconsin , with but a
single exception , has stood in line with
them. In other words , based on the ex
perience of nearly half a century , it would
seem unnecessary , for any practical
reason , to hold a presidential election in
twenty-three of our states , representing
over fifty-nine per cent , of our entire
electoral vote. When a state is once
recognized as being invariably on one or
the other political side , its tendency ,
under pi-esent influences , is to become
more and more bound by its political
harness. Young men , aside from the
pleasant experience of being in harmony
with their neighbors and fellow-citizens ,
realize that the avenue to political
preferment lies in agreement with the
political majority. In this way , unless
some great wave of sectional feeling
should happen to intervene , there will ,
in such one-sided states , be a constant
tendency for the predominating majority
to grow larger and larger. Let me
illustrate by an example which has come
under my observation in this state.
About twelve years ago , when Colorado
seemed to be firmly harnessed to the re
publican chariot , an eminent jurist , who
had been tbe recipient of great party
honors , spoke in substance as follows tea
a young man who was just beginning
his legal career :
"If you want to win success you had
better ally yourself with the republican
party. Your county and state are
normally republican. The party may
not always be right , but the only way to
achieve anything is inside the ranks of
a party. Try to reform from the inside.
All other efforts are unpractical. Stay
with your party and try to make it
better. That will keep you in line for
political honors if you want them , and
at the same time , your public efforts
have a cliance of gaining practical re
sults. "
This advice was repeated to me by the
recipient soon after it was given , and
consequently I have watched his career
with unusual interest. He is a superior
citizen , a man of character , and gifted
with high intellectual power. Never
theless , I have realized that the advice
above-mentioned has weakened his moral
fibre , has brought conscience into con
flict with policy , and has again and
again stood in the way of his voicing
his honest and deep-felt convictions on
questions of great public concern. This
is a type of what would have occurred
with increasing frequency if the state
had remained fixed in the republican
column. The sectional demand for
"free silver , " however much I opposed
and still oppose it , and despite , as I
think , its great injury to Colorado ,
nevertheless brought this benefit : that
it induced many men for the first time
to forsake party-traces and to vote
against the republican party , thus con
tributing greatly to the growth of the
spirit of political independence in this
commonwealth.
There is undoubtedly in these United
States , so far as the expression of honest