By this system, each worker knows that everything he does is recorded
at headquarters, and is kept there for all future time for reference
by our national leaders, when they wish, either in asking for services
or bestowing favors, to find the real, deserving, fighting material
in our party. Each worker knows, also, that it is the end of the
unjust custom, whereby one or two loud-mouthed adventurers, who have
done nothing but who claim all, in the hour of victory cast aside the
unselfish workers, whose years of patient labor gained the victory.
With an account kept of the sacrifices made, the clubs organized, the
members secured by each party worker in our country, there can be no
more climbing into favor on the shoulders of others, but, instead,
each man stands on his own bottom, reaping the fruit and recognition
of his own work, and is assigned to leadership as the result of the
exercise of his own genius and talents. At present, every Congressman,
Governor or President elected to office, is punished sufficiently to
offset all the pleasures and satisfactions of having been successful
by the impossible task of trying to disentangle the various claims of
the men who helped elect him. But no such discordant scramble need ever
recur, for the Volunteers will, in the future, keep an exact history
of the service rendered by every party worker, and, in Congressional
parlance, each fellow will know exactly "where he is at." The system is
as carefully thought out and perfected as that of any standing army.
The roll of honor appeals to the strongest instincts in man, which
have been utilized in every successful social or religious movement
since the dawn of history. If he is vain, it appeals to his vanity.
If heroic, it stimulates his heroism. If ambitious, he sees the way
to get place and position is to merit them by faithful work and that
they cannot be had by cheating the rightful owners out of the fruits of
their victories, to which he has not contributed.
In the Catholic Church and in many other institutions through all the
centuries, as among the followers of Napolean and Caesar, men have
often given up their lives for a medal or a bit of ribbon. For such
rewards England to-day gets almost as much service as from her vast
pay-roll.
By proper organization, vanity can be made to offset cupidity. It
is as strong an instinct, and we have the means of satisfying it.
To-day the name of England's Queen cannot inspire as great enthusiasm
in the majority of the English speaking race, as does the name of
William Jennings Bryan. The enthusiasm now aroused has sufficient
force to accomplish all our ends. What we need is simply to harness
this Niagara, organize this power, and apply it systematically and
continuously. It can be done. It is being done. Never in the history of
our country has the year following a great political campaign been the
scene of such a rejuvenation of the defeated party as has taken place
since our late repulse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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