Book Reviews : The Politics of Nonpartisanship: A Study of California City Elections. By EUGENE C. LEE. (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1960. Pp. xiii, 232. $4.75.)
| Published date | 01 September 1961 |
| Author | Freeman Holmer |
| Date | 01 September 1961 |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591296101400333 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
794
a
device
of
freeing
the
voter
from
these
influences.
In
the
past
our
defense
had
been
to
allow
private
agencies
to
control
public
matters,
relying
upon
private
gain,
competitive
conditions,
and
religious
and
sentimental
motivation
to
check
private
ambition.
Perhaps
the
solution
of
our
crisis
may
not
be
in
the
introduc,
tion
of
more
government
but
in
the
democratizing
of
our
private
institutions
and
strengthening
those
that
are
weak
through
grants
of
public
funds.
Whittier
College
JOHN
A.
SCHUTZ
The
Politics
of
Nonpartisanship:
A
Study
of
California
City
Elections.
By
EUGENE
C.
LEE.
(Berkeley
and
Los
Angeles:
University
of
California
Press,
1960.
Pp.
xiii,
232.
$4.75.)
To
the
literature
of
local
government
in
the
United
States,
Professor
Lee
has
added
the
results
of
a
study
of
nonpartisan
politics
in
California
cities.
It
is
less
a
study
of
elections
than
of
the
political
process
by
which
city
officials.
are
selected
where
the
local
units
of
state
and
national
political
parties
do
not
usually
participate.
As
a
report
of
the
results
of
interviews,
questionnaires
and
attitude
surveys,
the
book
provides
a
description
of
the
realities
of
local
politics
in
some
California
cities.
To
this
extent,
it
accepts
V.
O.
Key’s
challenge
of
1948
to
narrow
our
area
of
ignorance
about
local
elections.
The
bibliographic
notes
are
particularly
helpful.
A
study
such
as
this
cannot
be
-
and
was
not
intended
to
be
-
definitive.
It
comes
to
no
clear
conclusions;
it
proves
no
thesis;
it
suggests
answers
for
few
of
the
significant
questions
it
raises.
The
reliance
on
interviews
and
questionnaires
gives
an
apparent
quantitative
objectivity
to
the
&dquo;folk
wisdom&dquo;
of
California
city
officials
and
civic
leaders.
Al-
though
Professor
Lee
places
his
data
about
the
influence
of
newspapers,
business
leaders,
race,
religion,
etc.,
in
perspective,
his
appraisal,
analysis,
and
synthesis
of
the
common
view
does
not
deepen
our
understanding
of
either
the
values
or
the
shortcomings
of
nonpartisanship
as
a
way
of
local
political
life.
The
study
of
local
politics
and
elections
requires
the
accumulation
of
data
such
as
is
provided
in
this
book.
But
it
needs
also
more
intensive
attention
to
the
practical
and
theoretical
problems
that
are
described
in
this
volume.
Although
there
is
virtue
in
a
balanced
view,
apparently,
his
data
has
led
Mr. Lee
only
to
conclude
that
&dquo;it
is
part
of
the
genius
of
the
American
republic
that
the
decisions
on
ballot
and
politics
will
be
largely
resolved
on
a
pragmatic,
city-by-city
basis
and
not
be
laid
down
by
ukase
either
from
Wshington
or
from
the
various
state
capitols.&dquo;
In
his
penultimate
chapter,
Mr.
Lee
rates
nonpartisan
politics
and
elections
in
California
by
four
measures.
His
score
card
shows:
( 1 )
&dquo;pretty
good&dquo;
for
frequency
of
contest,
opportunity
for
dissent,
and
chance
to
replace
incumbents;
(2)
&dquo;pretty
bad&dquo;
on
participation,
particularly
for
some
groups;
(3)
&dquo;about
average&dquo;
in
issue-oriented
campaigns;
and
(4)
&dquo;above
average&dquo;
in
the
ability
and
integrity
of
the
successful
candidates.
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