ngdom
of Dahomey a liberal government in comparison.

Now, as we have said, if some legalized process could be devised through
which the ballot could be made safe and secret, a deadly blow would be
given to the caucus. As it is, the managers buy a few and intimidate the
many. The basis of such reform, however, rests on the entire machine
being paid for by the government. Tickets should be printed and
furnished free on the demand of any ten men claiming to be a party with
candidates to be voted for. Economy in this direction has costly
results. On the plea of legitimate expenditures large sums are
collected, and the people debauched. Any use of money other than that by
the government should not only work a forfeiture of office, but open the
penitentiary to the voter.

The truth is, however, that to make this reform effectual it must be
thorough and radical. The one great evil in our way is in our frequent
elections. The insane effort to apply the ballot to every office has so
multiplied elections that it is impossible for a man to give attention
to one-half, and follow his business so as to support his family. The
average citizen is forced to leave the filling of office to the
professionals, vulgarly called "bummers" in town, and "gutter-snipes" in
the country. We have not only cheapened the suffrage and thereby
cheapened office for the representative who represents, but we have
degraded the civil service until it is more of a disgrace than an honor
to be an official.

That sort of reform which compromises with wrong is worse than none. To
be effective, reform must be radical. Chucking a boulder in a rut of a
bad road makes the highway the more impassable. The rut itself must be
eliminated before repairs can be said to have a foundation.

PASSING EVENTS.

The political battle has been fought. We can look calmly over the field,
estimate the causes that led to the result, and to some extent forecast
the future. The Republican party had no uncertain triumph. Since the day
when Greeley was defeated by Grant there has been no such overwhelming
majority in the Electoral College for a Republican candidate. Even
without the vote of New York General Harrison would have been elected.
The line of the "solid South" has been broken by West Virginia joining
the Republican column, and Delaware for the first time in her history
elects a Republican legislature. Both Houses of Congress will
undoubtedly be Republican, so that