The Conservative *
real estate will justify the expense of
the improvement ?
Is it not also true , answering all
similar objections , that the consolida
tion of many city , town and village gov
ernments in one coxuity , under one ad
ministration , would almost balance the
extra cost necessary to improve to a de
cided extent , the more sparsely populated
portions of the county ?
The style of municipal administration ,
thus proposed , would equalize the
burden of taxation in a marked degree ,
burdening the country districts , having
large cities as near neighbors , but in the
end carrying to them , facilities , fully
commensurate with the additional cost.
An instance of the uselessness of our
present system , might bo cited in the
practical duplication of the boundaries
of Cook county and Chicago , Illinois.
This identity in confines practically lays
upon the assessable property of the
citizens of Chicago , the burden of a
double taxation , for the boundaries of
the city are almost similar to those of
the county.
Honesty in the expenditure of public
funds and consolidation of county , city ,
town , and village government , would
benefit the people to the extent of many
millions of dollars per year.
LEWIS M. HEAD.
Nebraska City , Neb. , May 28 , 1001.
"RING RULE AND DOMINATION. "
The desire to obtain something from
the public without returning its equiva
lent thereforand the desire for imagined
political honor , is largely responsible for
the formation of rings in our municipali
ties to rule and dominate. Dishonesl
men , for the purpose of financial gain ,
and weak , cunning and incompetent
men for the purpose of self-laudation ,
are the chief factors and beneficiaries of
ring rule.
Ring Organization.
The bad , criminal , and. vicious
elements of society are marshalled
organized and drilled into a porfeol
machine to plunder and rob the elemoni
I
i of society that desires to practice at
least some of the virtues , from which
alone , good government is possible.
By taking advantage of the fact that
party organization is deemed necessary
the machine thus formedobtains oontro
of the party organization and makes the
management thereof a close corporation
And , as it expects to exist and profit by
the dishonest manipulation and contro
of the agencies of government , it can
and does , devote its entire time and at
tention to politics , and does all withii
its power to keep honest men from gain
ing a foothold in the party organization
Those who have at heart , good govern
ment , and are interested in politics from
an unselfish motive , must necessarily de
vote a part of their time to their own
private affairs ; and , as a consequence
*
I JU1
hereof , are at a disadvantage in resist-
ng such domination.
In controlling the delegates to the
various conventions , the ring keeps
within its control the various committeemen -
men of the party , who have its entire
management in their hands. They fix
the primary districts ; name the dates of
calling conventions , and preside over
; hem until they are permanently organ-
zed.
zed.Wo
Wo are often told that if we do not
ike the tactics by which our political
parties are managed , that we should go
nto the organization and right the
wrongs and grievances complained of.
[ t would seem that this advice is good ,
and that it would bo an easy task to ac
complish that object. But it'is not as
easy as it would seem. It would bo
about as easy for a man whoso pocketbook -
book was stolen , to go into the den of
thieves who had stolen it and take the
pookotbook from them , as it would bo to
into the party organization and wrest
its management from the control of the
gong.
Precinct and Ward Control.
In each voting precinct there is main
tained a political organization or club.
From these precinct clubs , ward clubs
are formed , which embrace the members
of the precinct clubs. The means em
ployed by the ring to keep control of
these precinct organizations are as de
vious and unscrupulous as dishonest
minds can conceive. In one of the pre
cincts of a ward in a certain city , at an
election of officers of the precinct club ,
the president allowed only such persons
of his own party to vote , whose names
were on the membership roll. The de
feated candidates protested , on the
ground that the president should have
allowed all members of his party within
the precinct to vote , whether their names
were on the membership roll or not
The ward olub sustained the protest
ousted the officers elected and recognizet
the officers making the protest. In an
other precinct in the same ward , the
president allowed all the members of his
party , who were residents in the pro
oinot to vote , whether or not their names
wore on the membership roll. The de
feated candidates in this preoinot also
filed a protest , with the ward club
against the officers elected , on the
ground that the president should only
have allowed such persons to vote.whose
names wore upon the membership roll
The ward club ousted the officers elected
and seated the contesting candidates
In other words , they threw ou
one set of officers for not doing wha
they threw out another set of officers for
doing , and passed upon both these con
tests at the same meeting. It is needles
to say that , in both instances , the ward
olub seated persons who were members
of its own gang.
It is not an uncommon occurrence for
ho officers of a preoinot olub to soratoh
off the roll the names of persons who
vill not vote with the gang , and then
refuse to allow those persons to vote at
all , because their names are not on the
roll.
Base Methods.
Another method employed is to call a
meeting for an election at eight
o'clock p. m. , and then a few of the
gang will assemble and call the meeting
: o order at seven o'clock p. m. , and elect
their officers , so that if there is going to be
any opposition , when the opposition ar
rives the election is over , and the meot-
.ug has adjourned. The same , or worse ,
methods obtain at the ward elections.
At a ward election , only a short time
ago , the ring got possession of the hall
where the election was to be held , and
attempted to keep out all persons not be
longing to the ring. When the opposition
attempted to gain entrance a general
riot took place , and one man was shot-
and killed. Strange as it may seem to a
civilized community , no indictment was
over returned against anybody for this
murder ; although the friends of the
murdered man used every means that
they knew to obtain an indictment
against a prominent official and member
of the ring , against whom they claimed
to have evidence , sufficient to convict. If
a man kills another in self-defence , the
killing will bo inquired into , at least ,
and very likely an indictment returned
so that the man is put upon trial for the
offense. But it seems that if murder is
committed in keeping control of the
machinery of a political party it must
go unpunished.
Election Ruses.
Having thus retained control of the
party organization , in order that the
gang may realize from its desperate
game , it must nominate and elect
its candidates to office. For this pur
pose the men whom they nominate are
either members of the ring , or men
whom the ring can absolutely control.
The idea , which at one time was pre
valent , that if a person did not vote for
the nominees upon his party ticket , he
did not belong to the party" ; and the old
cry , that if you do not vote the ticket
you will be regarded as repudiating or
slapping the administration in the face ,
are the most valuable assets of the ring.
Just what connection the honor due
to Jefferson , Jackson , Lincoln and
Grant , has to do with incompetent men
nominated upon party tickets , would ,
indeed , be very hard to conceive , but
the universal homage that is justly duo
and paid to the heroes of the nation , is
used , and has been the means of elect
ing many an incompetent and dishonest
man , because he happened to call him
self a member of the party to which
some great man liad belonged.
The eagerness with , which a national
election is taken advantage of to place
