Politics, Patronage and Civic Duty

Charles R. Eckert

[A speech delivered in the U.S. House of Representatives, Saturday, 20 June 1936]

Mr. Speaker, under leave to extend my remarks in the Record, I include the following from the speech of President Roosevelt on The Philosophy of Government, in which he says:

Government includes the art of formulating a policy and using the political technique to attain so much of that policy as will receive general support - persuading, leading, sacrificing, teaching always, for the greatest duty of a statesman is to educate.

Here is indicated the way of practical politics. Attention is called to the futility of seeking reforms that are not supported by public opinion and emphasizes the importance and necessity of education.

No thoughtful person can view the present conditions of the world without feeling intuitively that profound economic changes are in process of incubation. Before our very eyes we see wealth steadily concentrating in the hands of the few - the middle class being ruthlessly swept away and the great body of workers becoming more helpless and hopeless.

These conditions demand attention. The pernicious processes must be arrested. But imperative as is the need of halting the forces that are undermining the foundations of our economic structure, the task is impossible while Ignorance and indifference hold sway among the masses. There must be enlightenment for "social reform", as has well been said --

is not secured by noise and shouting; by complaints and denunciations; by the formation of parties or the making of revolutions; but by the awakening of thought and the progress of ideas. Until there be correct thinking there cannot be right action, and when there is correct thinking right action will follow.

Without right thinking the people will lack vision, and without vision they perish.

No greater task rests upon the leaders of thought than that of enlightened guidance so that citizens and voters may face in proper perspective the real problems of politics and government.

One of the problems that stands in need of discussion and clarification is that of political patronage. In the minds of many the thought is uppermost that the sine qua non for political activity is a Government job at the hands of the victorious party. And political workers become imbued with this thought quite naturally since it has been the custom and practice for generations on the part of those who manage party affairs and seek to get control of government to offer the spoils of office as' a lure to engage in political activity.

Ex-Senator Moses, discussing the question "What is the matter with the Republican Party?" boldly and frankly declared that it is in need of three things, namely: Money, patronage, and a boss. With money and patronage and a boss, preferably of the Mark Hanna type, declared this seasoned politician, the Republican Party could be rehabilitated so that it again would become a strong and formidable organization.

This is the ordinary but vulgar conception of politics. It is obvious that if this type of politics is given the free rein, it must result in corrupting both the people and the Government. Those whose appraisement of politics rises no higher than that of ex-Senator Moses, of New Hampshire, will find fertile fields plying their pernicious and vulgar brand of politics unless economic conditions will be reformed and improved so that opportunities to gain a livelihood at self-employment or in private industry will at least be as inviting and lucrative as that offered by political bosses. In fact, the party boss and the political jobber can only thrive under conditions of gross economic inequality.

In a country where one class is too rich to be shorn of its luxuries and another so poor that a few dollars on election day or a political job will seem more than any abstract consideration; in which the few roll in wealth and the many seethe with discontent, political power naturally passes into the hands of party bosses and political jobbers who buy and sell it as the Praetorians sold the Roman Purple or into the hands of demagogues who will seize and wield it for a time only to be displaced by worse demagogues. But where there is anything like an equitable distribution of wealth, the trade of the political boss and the political jobber will be at a discount.

The antidote for the corruption and political jobbery that have found such a prominent place in American politics is in the development of a standard of civic duty that rests upon right, truth, and justice.

Civilizations in which social groups are bound together by the force of self interest and the hope of reward from political bosses and jobbers cannot endure. Assistant Secretary of State Hon. Francis B. Sayre, in a commencement address before the Virginia Theological Seminary at Alexandria, Va., June 4, 1936, said:

Only as faiths and beliefs are foundationed upon truth will they be all-embracing and enduring. A civilization which is lacking in such fundamental faiths loses its cohesiveness and its power. The great central facts of life are not the selfishness and lusts and cruelties of petty men and small minds, not the suffering and the evil which seem at times predominant, but rather the never-ending, patient bravery, the constant reaching upward toward goodness, and the fundamental nobility of human nature.

In this spirit and in this spirit alone, not only as to individual conduct but as to social behavior as well, can we hope to overcome the social evils of our time and free politics and government from selfishness, corruption, and hypocrisy.

Amplifying this thought, I include under the general permission for Members to extend their remarks in the Record the following letter addressed to Rev. Dr. H. Reed Shepfer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Rochester, Pa.:

"June 20, 1936. "Rev. H. Reed Shepfer, "Rochester, Pa. "My Dear Dr. Shepfer: Your letter in reference to local patronage received. Since you are a religious and a minister of the gospel, I feel free to write you intimately, not only in relation to the context of your letter, but also about those deeper problems of politics and Government that are so closely related to the material and spiritual welfare of the people. "Addressing myself first to the subject matter of your letter, may I say that the selection of postmasters is really the duty of the President and the Senate. Under our system of party government, however, the practice of permitting Congressmen to recommend candidates for postmasters has ripened into a congressional prerogative, and so the opinion prevails that Members of Congress select the candidates for postmasters. "It happened that when I came to Washington I was advised by the leaders of the State Democratic organization that all Federal appointments were to be cleared through the Democratic organization; at the same time being advised that experience had proven this policy to be the most effective and practical in promoting party harmony and party solidarity. Whether for good or ill, whether we like it or not, under present political conditions party government seems inevitable. For the most part, throughout the years of our national life the party system of government prevailed and still prevails. It is conceivable that there may come a time when parties as such will have lost their hold in the affairs of government. Among a truly intelligent, just, and patriotic people there would be no occasion for voters to separate into groups and array themselves against each other at election time, for in the last analysis their true interests are common. What is good for one is good for all, providing, of course, that no one wants any special privilege or favor. "The political struggles of the past and of the present have their root in selfishness, in greed, and in the will to want something at the expense of all the people. These may find expression in the wish for public office or public appointment, or governmental concessions such as franchises, tariffs, bounties, or other concessions of government. Whatever it may be, the thought is always uppermost to get something for little or no effort. If it shall ever come to pass that the people will learn that their highest interests will best be served by obeying the simple doctrine, 'Honesty is the best policy' and 'To live and let live', then political parties will disintegrate and in social and political matters act as one group. But until this happy condition comes to pass, we are bound to speak and function socially and politically through parties. "Hence it is not a theory, but a condition with which we are confronted; and, therefore, it would seem that the best policy to strengthen and solidify the party is through organization. And experience has shown that this can best be done by cooperating with and supporting the party organization, subject always, of course, to the condition that it function in the interest of all the people. "The Democratic Party is seeking to serve the people in the Nation and in the State and, in order that its work may not be interrupted, the party's commission must be renewed from time to time. We are on the eve of a very important national election. The outcome of the issues involved in the pending election is of vital concern to every man, woman, and child in the land. In the struggle impending privilege is battling for its life. No quarter will be granted. Every resource at the command of privilege will be invoked in the hope of regaining control of the Federal Government. "The New Deal program is, in essence, the battle against privilege. In its deeper meaning it has for its aim the abolition of private privilege in all its ramifications. The Democratic Party is pledged to restore to the American people economic freedom by establishing a social order based on the doctrine of equal rights to all, special privileges to none. "If every Democratic Member of Congress were to act independently and contrary to the rules and policies of the central organization, confusion and discord within the party would be inevitable. So long as the organization of the Democratic Party promotes policies and submits candidates for political appointments in which one can have confidence and faith, we ought to be happy to cooperate to the fullest extent. Patronage is of secondary importance. It occupies too large a place in the minds of the voters, and for the good of all it is well for us frequently to recur to the question, 'What are parties and politics primarily concerned about?' In doing so we will regain our true balance as citizens. "Politics is the science of government and is charged with much more important matters than political patronage. Too many, I fear, harbor the notion that politics is a mere matter of political jobs, when, in truth, political positions are a mere incident to the main business in hand. Fundamentally, politics and government are concerned with the problem of human rights and human welfare. In the Declaration of Independence we are told that governments are instituted among men to secure their natural rights, and in the preamble to the Constitution of the United States we are reminded that our Federal Union was established to promote inter alia the general welfare. "Neither of these objectives has yet been achieved by the American people - in truth we seem to be farther removed from their enjoyment today than any time in our history. Today, want and misery, poverty and distress are encountered everywhere and unemployment is all but universal - all of which indicates that politics and government are not yet functioning effectively for the public good. "Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, in a commencement address a few years ago, asked this challenging question: " 'Why is it that with all the progress which the world is making in so many directions - science, art, letters, all forms of industry, transportation, commerce - why is it that there still exists so much want, so much of all that which for the want of a better name may be summed up under the word "poverty"?'

The poverty of which Dr. Butler speaks is not due to the niggardliness of nature or nature's God. It is not due to the unwillingness of man to labor and produce wealth. On the contrary, man's power of production is multiplying with every new invention, and his willingness to labor is evidenced by his frantic appeals for work. Yet in spite of it all poverty persists and deepens with the passage of the years. Quoting again from the address of Assistant Secretary of State Hon. Francis B. Sayre:

"Millions of human beings are walking the streets of our great industrial cities, hungry and unable to find work. The demoralization that comes from idleness and public relief is eating into youth. Those who have succeeded in laying something by against sickness or old age are harassed with vanishing values and economic uncertainties. We are forced to mortgage unborn generations to care for present want. In the midst of abundance the world is multiplying poverty."

Upon reflection it is quite apparent to everyone that the problems involved in Dr. Butler's question must be solved and solved correctly if civilization is to endure. Hence those who are in positions of public trust and spiritual leadership are in duty bound to give these problems serious, conscientious, and intelligent consideration.

In view of this fact, is it not deplorable that so much time and thought are consumed in the consideration of comparatively inconsequential things of politics and which provoke and bring into action the baser emotions, for, after all, the subject of patronage sinks into insignificance when compared with the deeper problems of politics and government, problems which have in their keeping the rights and liberties of mankind. The millions of our fellow men that are suffering the pangs of poverty represent the problems of unemployment and the inequitable distribution of wealth. It is for us to find a rational and permanent solution of these problems. To fail in this task will only multiply the ugly conditions that now prevail in American politics and further menace the perpetuation of our free institutions. As has been well said -

"When there is anything like an equal distribution of wealth - that is to say, where there is general patriotism, virtue, and intelligence - the more democratic the government the better it will be; but where there is gross inequality in the distribution of wealth the more democratic the government the worse it will be, for while rotten democracy may not in itself be worse than rotten autocracy, its effects upon national character will be worse. To give the suffrage to tramps, to paupers, to men to whom the chance of labor is a boon, to men who must beg, or steal, or starve, is to invoke destruction. To put political power in the hands of men embittered and degraded by poverty is to tie firebrands to foxes and turn them loose amid the standing corn; it is to put out the eyes of a Samson and to twine his arms around the pillars of national life."

Unless the benefits resulting from new inventions and material progress will be equitably diffused among the masses, the corruption of politics and government will become more and more menacing as the years go by. It is no light and trivial thing that in the richest and most self-reliant Nation of the world - a nation that boasts of its schools and universities, its churches and Christian virtues, there should be millions of unemployed and other millions on the borderline of poverty, while the gulf between the House of Have and the House of Have Not widens with the passing of the years.

During the closing years of the last century students of social science were impressed with the gravity of the economic conditions and emphasized the importance of a satisfactory solution of the social problem. How much more pressing is this same problem today!

In the consideration of this perplexing problem, may I call your attention to the intimate relation between the secular and spiritual welfare of the people. The spiritual development of a people must keep pace with material progress. Quoting Assistant Secretary Sayre again:

"Further progress demands building anew upon spiritual foundations. The amazing and splendid advance in material progress of the last century must now be matched by spiritual progress and understanding. It is not that we must accept arbitrary, unreasonable, or fruitless dogmas or traditional moral codes. What our civilization needs is a master and practical utilization of spiritual laws with as large a measure of success as our own generation's mastery and utilization of physical laws."

A thorough and intelligent analysis of the social problem reveals the fact that the moral precepts given to man for guidance of his individual conduct are applicable to his behavior as a citizen and member of society. The Golden Rule applies in the realm of civic behavior as well as to individual conduct - That we should do unto others as we would have others do unto us - that we should respect the rights of others as scrupulously as we would have our own rights respected is not a mere counsel of perfection for individuals, but it is the law to which we must conform our social institutions and national policies if we would secure the blessings of abundance and peace, is wise and sound counsel.

And Christ himself tells us 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto us.'

"And again we are admonished that 'As God's will be done in heaven, so on earth.'

Hence the solution of the problems involved in Dr. Butler's question is to be found in those deeper truths that lie at the very root of true religion and constitute the hope of democracy.

The contemplation of these truths inspirit and inspire. They lift us up and beyond vulgar demagoguery and selfish politics. They impel us to center our hearts and our minds on those deeper problems of politics and government, the proper solution of which will bring about a new and fair division of the goods and right of the world, to the end that the Biblical injunction may be fulfilled:

" 'And they shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruits of them. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat."

"Under separate cover I am mailing you a copy of Progress and Poverty, which has been described by an eminent American as -

" 'A book that rests upon a granite pedestal of truth, face up, open for the thinking world to scan-a book matchless in logic, beautiful in diction, perfect in illustration, unchallenged and unchallengable, unanswered and unanswerable; an everlasting monument to the intellectual and moral integrity of the man who wrote it."

"With kindest personal regards and best wishes, I am,

"Very sincerely yours,
"Charles R. Eckert."