Looking to our foundations

Preface

The aim of the author of this book is to awaken the individual citizen to a keener reahzation of his right, and of his duty to participate in the organization, direction, and control of those of our organized activities and institutions, — civic, political, philanthropic, financial, and educational, — which are so essential to the general welfare of the people.

On account of its relative importance, more space has been devoted to subject of the public schools than to all the other institutions combined,

I wish to thank all those who have aided me in my work by answering my inquiries, furnishing information, statistics, pamphlets, salary schedules, reports of expenditures, budget estimates, etc.

I acknowledge my debt of gratitude to those who rendered substantial service by reading and criticizing the manuscript.

Acknowledgment is due to the publishers of LIFE for permission to quote from Gluyas WiUiams' Senator Sounder article describing some of the inside workings of the senate committee on the tariff.

In the preparation of "A Historical Sketch" of the schoolbook publishing business, the author has quoted freely from that scholarly pamphlet, "An Address Delivered before The School Book Publishers' Association, 1899" by the late Mr. D. C. Heath, a successful and highly respected school book publisher. b A word of explanation should be made with regard to those Chapters dealing with the "School Book

VI LOOKING TO OUR FOUNDATIONS

Question." They, with others, were written with the intention of pubHshing them in a separate volume under the title, "The School Book Question." But when it was decided to include that subject in this book, it became necessary to eliminate substantially half of the original material to bring it within the available space.

Much to the regret of the writer, he had to leave out a number of amusing incidents, stories, and personal tributes to some of those resourceful, talented, and lovable characters among the school book men.

The author lays no claim to literary training. He is conscious of many crudities of diction, and of violations of the simple rules of composition, for which he must ask the charitable indulgence of the reader. His one desire has been to deliver his message as forcefully and sincerely as he feels it.

Contents

Chapter Page

I. Introduction 1

II. Centralization of Control 15

CHAPTER I Introduction menacing tendencies

The very foundations of our most cherished institutions — popular representative government, philanthropic and religious organizations, social and economic justice, and the public schools — are threatened by the following menacing tendencies:

Concentration of wealth, authority, domination, and control into the hands of fewer and fewer favored individuals.

The assumption of sovereign governmental functions and authority by organized minorities of citizens, or citizens and foreigners. And, the seeming supine indifference of the average citizen to, and his acquiescence in, the usurpation of his inalienable rights, privileges and responsibilities.

Powerful organizations formed for the advancement and profit of their own members flout the rights of the public, and defy the authority of the government with seeming impunity.

Any organization which assumes, and is permitted to exercise authority to operate, or to prohibit the operation of any railroad or any other means of communication of a country, is the de facto government of that country. In the same sense, any organization which through its officials assumes to dictate what man or class of men shall be permitted to work, and what man or class of men shall not be permitted to persue their usual lawful occupations in any nation, state.

city, county, township or village, is the de facto government of that nation, state, city, county, township or village !

That business agent who serves notice upon a private citizen that he must employ a man or any number of men from any particular class or organization, and that he shall not be permitted to employ another man of his own choosing, and who enforces his commands, exercises superior autocratic authority to that ever exercised by any State or Federal Court through the injunction, however arbitrary and "Sweeping" this court command may have seemed at the time. The Court's Injunction goes no further than to command the person or persons to whom directed, to refrain from doing some specified act which might interfere with the legal rights of another. This is as far as the Courts may go.

But these ofiicials of ahove-the-law organizations issue and in most instances, to our shame, are permitted to enforce their mandates preventing law abiding citizens from exercising their undisputed legal privileges and duties!

The great body of law abiding citizens who make up the vast majority of the American people, does not seem to possess sufficient class consciousness to enable it to defend itself from spoliation and civic humiliation.

How common are the reports in the public press of any where from one to twenty men being held up, terror stricken, robbed and beaten by one lone highwayman armed with an ordinary pistol! Why.'^ They have been taught to fear a man, or a boy with a gun !

The marauding and preying class understanding this timidity and group cowardice, takes advantage of it in the persuit of its criminal schemes.

This is the pitiable condition of the people in Russia today. A comparatively small band of well organized adventurers, having seized the arms, ammunition, the food supply, and the rail-roads, dominates, coerces, and despoils eighty millions of people, all that are left of one hundred seventy millions.

A peaceable, industrious, frugal, and home loving people are ruthlessly plundered of their savings, their food supplies, their seed grain, and left to all the horrors of starvation in their famine stricken land! There is no such thing left in Russia as individual and community initiative. The individual and the mass of individuals are cowed by their criminal dictators, supported by their plundering, mercenary armies.

We seem to be drifting toward the same condition of affairs in this country. It is a fact, well understood by thoughtful men, that a small body of men with evil design organized and armed for the purpose could take physical possession of New York City, its police, arsenals, railroad terminals, ferries, docks and warehouses.

Now let us suppose that the master mind of the dictators should offer the criminally inclined the privilege of unrestrained pillage and rapine on condition that they join their army; that the food supply is in their hands and none but their loyal followers may eat.

You would have Petrograd and Moscow over again !

Any city of a million population or less might be taken, including its poHce force, its people over-awed and cowed by an armed force of less than one thousand men, placed at strategic points and acting in concert.

The law abiding citizens are not armed, while the criminal class and the criminally inclined are always armed and amply supplied with ammunition.

In most of our states they have laws patterned after the iniquitous "Sullivan Law" of New York State. The practical effect of this law has been to disarm all law-abiding citizens, and to arm and outfit every vicious criminal for the safer pursuit of his nefarious business.

It is safe to assume that this law, and similar laws in the other states, must have had the influential backing of the Ancient and Accepted Order of Footpads, Burglars and Yeggman, and of its criminal lawyers who thrive upon the loot and plunder of its active members !

These laws make it a criminal offense for a private citizen to own, possess or to carry any sort of a weapon of defense, or to use any such weapon either for defending his family, his home, or his own person. Should a private citizen so far forget the "Sullivan Law" and its powerful backing as to attempt to defend himself with a good reliable automatic pistol, his assailant could have him arrested. The thug could appear, with his criminal lawyer, as the prosecuting witness ! It is a crime in New York for an honest citizen to resist successfully the demands of a duly authorized and recognized member of the A. A. O. F. B. & Y.

It must have been under some similar stress of conditions that the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was submitted to the States and ratified, which amendment clearly states that, — "the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed."

The right to bear arms is a sacred right; and the laws should protect its citizens in that right.

Our government should encourage the people to own fire arms and not only that, it should encourage the young men and women to learn to handle a rifle and a pistol, and to use them effectively!

Every boy should be instructed and carefully trained in the manly art of self defense.

What we need in this country more than any other one thing, is less individual and community timidity, and more men and women of intelligence, moral courage, and the physical prowess that will enable them to stand foursquare for the defense and maintenance of their political, civic, and economic rights and privileges.

A community, county, city, state, or the Nation is no stronger than the sum total of its individual citizens.

The great body of law-abiding, straightforward, self-supporting citizens give too little attention, time, thought, and money to the subject of practical politics.

There is no other one subject of more immediate and vital importance to the liberty loving citizen than the question of good government. There is no greater impending calamity than the threatened destruction of our representive free government at the hands of weak and sordid minded officials, their subservient appointees, and their masters, the professional political bosses, supported by their mercenary tax-consuming hordes of contractors, supply concerns, experts, political attorneys, investigators, and sundry others of their tribe, too numerous to specify.

In its organization, intent, and purpose, this government of ours is supposed to be a Representative Republic. Outside of the original Town Meeting, in those scattered communities where that "School of practical politics" has survived, it is a mistake to call our form of government a Democracy.

According to the fundamental laws of the land, the source of all governmental authority is the expressed will of a majority of the people. But as a matter of fact, the people are governed, or misgoverned, by officials and representatives selected by a very small minority of the legal voters, and by an ever increasing army of officious officials for whose selection and appointment the people have no voice, theoretically nor actually.

These officials, however or by whomsoever chosen and appointed, are clothed with authority to enact and to enforce laws, to sit in judgment over the property and civil rights, the personal liberty, and even the lives of the people; to levy and collect taxes, fees, penalties, and fines of all sorts and descriptions; to issue and to sell bonds; and to appropriate and spend all public funds! And yet, the great majority of the intelligent, industrious, self-supporting, and law-abiding citizens hardly gives a passing thought, and takes no active part, in the selection and choice of honest and capable persons to stand as candidates for these important positions of responsibility and trust.

It is a well known fact that those people most interested in the distribution of political favors and patronage, are the most active and effective political workers; and that those men who are selfishly interested in the expenditure of public funds, dominate and control the nominations of candidates for public office.

The party candidates are usually chosen at private caucus meetings of the party committee and the party leaders, or the dominant party faction leader. It is in these caucus meetings, that the question is settled as to who shall and who shall not be permitted to run for office, or at any rate, which candidates shall be given the support of the party organization, or of some particular faction of that party.

It is evident that the candidate must submit to all the demands of the caucus members, and satisfy these important personages that in return for the support of the "Organization," he will acknowledge his obligation to that "Organization" or to the particular faction of that "Organization." He must satisfy these party bosses as to his loyalty to the "Organization." This means, in practical politics, that the candidate, if elected to oflfice, will be "open to suggestions, and amenable to reason!" In other words, that in his official acts, appointments, and decisions he will be governed by the wishes of his political sponsors.

Under these conditions, is it surprising that candidates of doubtful ability, questionable integrity, and pliable civic scruples, are so frequently chosen by these political bosses !

Men of too strict integrity, civic honesty, moral force, and independence of thought and action are not favorites with political manipulators because they are less likely to submit to the dictation of selfishly interested political bosses.

As stated before, the candidates are usually chosen at more or less secret conferences, or caucuses of political party leaders and their henchmen, before the day of the primaries.

The great body of the membership of the political parties have had no voice in the selection of any of the candidates on their tickets. The voters are solicited and urged to "Turn out and vote," and thus ratify the party nominations !

A typical illustration of this condition of political affairs, is furnished by the campaign for the choice of candidates at the Primary election in Illinois in the spring of 1922.

On the Republican ticket, there were three factions each urging the voters to support their particular candidates, and all of these factional leaders working either to capture, or to hold the control of the party "Organization":

The Thonipson-Liindin faction, representing the mayor and his City Hall "Organization" in the city of Chicago and in Cook county ; and in the State, the same "Organization," known as the Thompson-Lundin-Small faction, was making a desperate fight to secure the nomination of its candidates for the State Legislature. It was apparent that this faction was concentrating its efforts upon this one object; the Crow-Brundage faction, headed and sponsored by the States attorney of Cook County, and the Attorney General of Illinois, had its candidates all down the line, — for city, county, and state offices; and, the Deneen faction, headed and sponsored by ex-Governor Deneen.

It is beside our purpose to comment upon the issues and the rival claims of these three political factions, further than to direct the reader's attention to the significant fact that that great body of Republican voters who must earn their living outside of politics, and upon whose votes these party leaders must depend to elect their favored candidates had no voice in the choice of the candidates for the offices or for the party organization committees !

The conditions were substantially the same in the Democratic party. There were the "Regulars," and "The Citizens" factions in the City, and in the County.

Another significant fact worthy of note is that all of these party factions are headed and dominated by office holders or professional politicians !

The original theory of our government, that its public officials are honored public servants, seems to have been lost sight of both by the people and their public servants. No sooner is a governor elected than he sets about building up a "Machine" or an "Organization" to control the Legislature, an independent branch of the government. His excuse is that as governor, he is the responsible head of his political party !

The same position is assumed by the mayors of the larger cities; and the presumption is not unheard of in National affairs !

It is a serious question whether or not all public officials and government employees should not be excluded from all participation in political party affairs.

Certainly, no office holder or government appointee, or employee should be eligible to sit as a delegate in a political convention, and surely not as a member of a Constitutional Convention !

The organization and management of a political party should be free from the domination and control of office holders, and their appointees. Some students of politics and government go so far as to advocate the disfranchisement of all office holders, and their appointees and employees. Whether this is advisable or practicable or not, is a question; but there is no doubt but that some means will have to be found to curb the domination of political parties by office holders who have been raised to their positions of honor and trust by the favor of their political party.

This separation of all office holders, their appointees, and political henchmen from participation in the affairs of the political party which elected them would tend to free the political parties from the domination and control of the office holding class and the office holders' personal organizations. This would be a long step toward the reinstatement of representative free, — "government of the people, by the people, and for the people !"

As deplorable and menacing as this tendency toward oflBcial usurpation of authority has become, the people have no one to blame but themselves. The people who should take the initiative in civic and political affairs, shun and neglect to perform their duty, and shift the responsibility to other shoulders.

If those citizens who ought to take an active and aggressive part in the nomination and election of candidates for office would exercise their right and duty, there would soon be a noticeable improvement in our political affairs.

The great obstacle to be overcome is the timidity of the majority of the law-abiding citizens who make their living outside of politics. They fail to show the requisite amount of moral courage and physical stamina to enable them to meet the arrogant opposition of organized political strategists. Right here is where our boasted universal suffrage falls short in practice.

Graft, under the cover of its many disguises and devices is the malignant canker gnawing at the vitals of our political, social, and economic life. Graft and insatiable greed for money are a growing menace to our civilization.

It was graft that destroyed the great Russian Empire. It was graft in Russian official life that made it possible for Japan to defeat and humiliate that once powerful nation.

The Russian people had been heavily taxed for years to build and equip modern dreadnaughts and other ships of war; to purchase and manufacture field and heavy artillery, rifles and equipment for large armies, and to build armories and army barracks; in short, to make every preparation for war.

It is an open secret that the vast sums of appropriated funds were spent and dissipated, and after war was declared the fact came to light that Russia had made very Httle preparation for war!

The dreadnaughts that had been dearly purchased and paid for, named, equipped, and manned — on paper — had no material existence!

In the great storage yards where the unmounted cannon were supposed to be kept in readiness for immediate mounting for use when needed, there were found acres covered with wooden cannon, turned from logs to look like real cannon! These dummy cannon had all passed inspection and all exacting vouchers were, "officially examined and found correct!" Similar conditions were found to exist in other military equipment and army supplies. This simply means that the appropriations of the hard earned tax money of the people were spent, presumably, for war ships, arms and munitions, army supplies of all sorts, in regular routine manner, the vouchers all properly examined, found correct, and officially signed ; but only a mere fractional part of the very essential materials were ever delivered !

The potentially great Russian Empire was defeated and doomed to destruction as the direct consequences of graft.

It is generally known that in the late World War, the brave soldiers of the Russian armies were defeated, massacred, and practically annihilated by the German armies under the generalship of Hindenburg, partly because the Russian soldiers were practically without arms, ammunition, food, and other essential equipment; but mainly for the reason that these millions of men upon whom the destiny of Russia depended were deliberately sent to the slaughter by grafting government high officials!

Graft had honeycombed the whole Russian bureaucratic official body politic.

Graft had infinitely more to do with the downfall of the Russian Empire than czarism, anarchy, communism, and bolshevism combined !

The indescribably wretched conditions in Russia today are but the logical outcome of long years of despotic, centralized, bureaucratic rule in which the official life was permeated with insatiable greed for more power, and for larger opportunities for graft !

The Bolsheviki terrorist dictatorship is the illegitimate offspring of that old debauched official life.

Graft has been done away with, but at what a fearful cost in money, human life, public and private property, and individual and national honor and honesty! There is no further excuse for the official grafter. The officials simply take private property with government approval, and human life as well whenever there is any slight pretext for doing so. The major crimes as listed in civilized countries are regarded as practical morality by the Bolsheviki !

Graft is a much more serious menace to the people of this country than all the Emma Goldmans, Alexander Berkmans, "Bill" Heywoods, anarchists, communists, I. W. W.'s and other destructive radical classes combined.

The grafter, and this term includes the giver as well as the taker, is the most insidious and dangerous enemy of organized society.

The word "graft" is used in its generally accepted meaning in this country as the "Acquisition of money, position, promotion, etc., by dishonest or unjust means as by actual theft or by taking advantage of public office or of position of trust or employment to obtain fees, perquisites, profits on contracts, or legislation, pay for work not done or service not performed etc. ; illegal or unfair practice for personal advantage; also anything thus gained." — Webster's New International Dictionary.

The aim of the writer has been to direct the attention of the public to some of the most insidious abuses and destructive tendencies that threaten to undermine the very foundations of our American Public Schools; and to suggest a possible line of action that would correct these abuses, and check these evil tendencies.

In order to do this more effectively, it has seemed necessary to call attention to sunilar abuses and destructive tendencies in other departments of government, and in the management and control of other public and semi-public institutions. For after all, the abuses and the threatening tendencies in the management and control of the public schools, are only puny imitations of the more flagrant abuses and destructive tendencies that have grown up and become entrenched in the other departments of government; and in the management and control of other institutions.

Criticism, however candid and well meant, should be constructive if its object is to prove helpful in the permanent improvement of the administration of civic, political, and economic affairs.

For this reason, criticism has been directed at abuses rather than at individuals, for after all is said and done, are not those in positions of trust and authority our chosen agents and representatives? And, considering our part in their nomination and election, do they not render as efficient service as we have any right to expect !

There are a great many high minded, honest, devoted and unselfish men and women in the pubhc service. There are and have been many honorable and honored statesmen and public officials whose unselfish devotion to the service is above suspicion. These worthy men and women deserve and should be given the sincere gratitude of all friends of liberty and good government.

The difference between a well-ordered and honestly-administered government, and a dishonestly and maladministered government, is the difference between light and darkness; virtue and vice; and truth and a lie!

The kind of government all depends upon the civic ideals, and the moral character of those chosen to administer that government!

Chapter II

There is the ever present temptation in all organized human institutions gradually, but inevitably to centralize the domination and control into the hands of fewer and fewer individuals.

The plausible pretext used by those seeking to obtain authority, domination, and control is expressed in the well worn phrases, "Strengthening the organization," and "Unifying and simplifying the organization!"

POLITICAL PARTIES

A common and familiar illustration of the deadening effect of assumed authority by one or more leaders to dominate and control is furnished by the conduct and management of political parties. The mischief begins right at the foundation of the party organization, — the precinct committee. The precinct committeeman usually does not represent the voters of his party of his precinct, but a faction or the faction leader, or "boss" at the County seat, or at the City Hall.

These committeemen delegate "power to act" to their chairman, the Town, the Village, the Ward, and city committees each to its chairman, the successive committees surrender their "power to act" to their chairman. These Chairmen of Committees assume the position of "bosses," or political dictators! They proceed to build up an Organization of favorites responsible to the Organization, and this means responsible to the "boss" or the "bosses" as the case may be.

This "ring" soon becomes so thoroughly entrenched and buttressed in authority through its control of the party Organization that it assumes to be the political party! It controls the election machinery, dictates the nomination of candidates for the oflSces, and the appointments by elected officials, assesses contributions from office holders and prospective candidates for office, and from public employees. It "solicits" contributions from bidders and prospective bidders for contracts for public work of every sort or for furnishing supplies and materials of all kinds.

These vast sums of money levied and collected for the support of the Organization are accounted for only in a vague sort of way, — "Receipts" — so much; "Expenditures" so much; "Deficit" so much!

The rise, formation, successes, and the overthrow of political parties may be traced from their formation, based upon fair and full representation, a frank and sincere statement of principles which appeals to the sympathies, ideals, and the intelligence of the voters, winning their approval and support, and the election of their candidates.

This political victory is usually followed by a satisfactory administration, party pledges and principles are faithfully followed, and as a result of its clean record, the party's candidates are again successful at the polls and the party is "Indorsed by the people."

At about this time in the history of the party the practical political schemers begin to lay their plans to gain control of the party Organization. Upon the specious pretext of the necessity for unifying and strengthening the Organization these schemers are permitted to "Perfect the Organization" so thoroughly that it is from now on an effective political machine.

directed and responsive only to "Machine politicians!" The machine is able to appease the opposition and criticism that its high-handed acts may have aroused by the leaders plea "for the good of the party."

This party is again successful in the election. The machine claims the credit for that success, and the party is now controlled and dominated by a few practical politicians.

Principle and principles are thrown to the winds, and platitudinous vote catching slogans invented to serve in their stead, such as, "A nickel car fare," "85 cent gas," "Subsidized Press," and "A dollar's worth of service from every dollar of taxes," and many others, none of which was intended to mean anything after the election. Paid and experienced workers are stationed at the polls to see to it that every name on the poll list is voted and recorded !

All the strength and resources of the machine are used to "Win the election" so that the machine may control the offices, the patronage, the contracts, the public funds, and the election machinery.

The political power that was originally vested in the individual members of the party, and forfeited by them, was siezed upon and used in the selection of the precinct committeemen. These committeemen delegated their authority to the chairman, and so on up till it was lodged with the party bosses. Those worthy gentlemen assume and exercise autocratic domination and control, and nothing short of the disruption of the party and its over-whelming defeat can wrest that dommation and control from them. "Rule or Ruin" is the traditional policy of the professional politician.

The life, usefulness and the continued existence of the political party means nothing to these professional polititcians unless they can control the oflfices, the funds, the patronage, and the "boodle." The political principles and patriotic ideals upon which the party was founded has become as, "Sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal" for those zealous, unsophisticated supporters of those principles.

The time inevitably comes when that political party degenerates into a highly organized political "machine" for pillage and graft for the personal benefit of a favored few who sit within the inner-most circle of the decadent political party. The history of all political parties teaches that, in spite of its "Perfect Organization," control of patronage, its power to reward its loyal supporters and to punish its critics, its army of "hangers on," and employees, its control of the election machinery, and its organization of loyal party workers, that political party is doomed to inglorious defeat!

The defeat is made certain by the opposition votes of many of its former friends and loyal supporters who have become disgusted with the selfish greed and irresponsible dictation of the party machine.

The responsibility for the condition of affairs in this political party rests upon every member of it who either refused, or what amounts to the same thing, neglected to do his duty to his political party, to his country, to his family, and to himself by failing to take an active part in the organization of his party in his election precinct and right on up through the successive political units.