Your vote and how to use it

by Gertrude Foster Brown

Party members are all those who at the last registration, or last general election, enrolled in the party.

State platforms count for little. They usually “point with pride” to things the party has done, and denounce the acts of the opposing party. Most voters pay little attention to them.

The County Committee consists of one man from every election district in the county; the City Committee, one from each ward or election district in the city. (New York County has its own organization, different from the others.) The chairman of each of these committees is elected at the party primaries. He is usually an experienced politician, and each committee is the party authority locally.

The Election District: The election district captain, or county committeeman, is the man who comes in direct personal touch with the voter. His business is to deliver the vote of his election district to his party. He must know every voter in his district, find out how each one is going to vote, and keep track of new voters, especially the first voter who has yet to choose his party. He is an inspector at elections; he selects poll clerks and watchers, and handles the money sent by his party to his district. The Assembly District leader or County Chairman distributes the patronage and the election district captain may recommend men to him. The more offices that can be filled, and the greater the number of “the faithful” who can be provided for, the stronger the party at the next election. The one quality necessary for the election district captain is complete loyalty to his chairman and party.

If ordinary party members pay no attention to the organization locally it is bound to fall into the hands of those who make their living out of politics.

Party Funds are contributed by members of the party, subscriptions from interested men, from party candidates and interests which expect to be benefited if a certain party comes into power.

It is a crime to levy on the salary of any public official for campaign expenses, but such contributions are often still expected.

If a party elects its candidate, he has many officials to appoint, and these offices are often unfortunately regarded as rewards for party loyalty and work. The civil service was created to take offices away from party control and prevent the “spoils system.”

The Use and Abuse of Party: The political party has a very definite place in popular government. In the conduct of a campaign organization is indispensable. The danger lies in the difficulty of sufficiently safeguarding the interests of the public from the spoilsmen of either party. It is through the party that citizens must work for political measures, but it is also through the party machine that anti-social forces are able to successfully carry out their plans.

There is tremendous power for a party in its control of the government of a city or a State. A multitude of offices have to be filled, franchises to be granted, valuable contracts let, and there are a thousand opportunities for public plunder and private enrichment. The party in power nationally, has untold possibilities in the control of the fabulous resources of the country. In order that a party may come into power in the National government, it is necessary for it to be in control in the State, and to control the State it tries to hold minor political divisions. To gain control locally it partitions out the offices where they will do the most good; it gains support from every quarter through any means; it seeks to have men in positions of authority who can be so controlled that they will subordinate everything to the party welfare.