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China Satellite
Navigation
Conference (CSNC)
2017 Proceedings:
Volume III
Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering
Volume 439
Editors
123
Editors
Jiadong Sun Shiwei Fan
Academician of CAS China Satellite Navigation Office
China Aerospace Science and Technology Beijing
Corporation China
Beijing
China Wenxian Yu
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Jingnan Liu Shanghai
Wuhan University China
Wuhan
China
Yuanxi Yang
National Administration of GNSS
and Applications
Beijing
China
Conference Topics
v
vi Preface
vii
viii Editorial Board
Scientific Committee
Chairman
Jiadong Sun, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Vice-Chairman
Rongjun Shen, China
Jisheng Li, China
Qisheng Sui, China
Changfei Yang, China
Zuhong Li, China Academy of Space Technology
Shusen Tan, Beijing Satellite Navigation Center, China
Executive Chairman
Jingnan Liu, Wuhan University
Yuanxi Yang, China National Administration of GNSS and Applications
Shiwei Fan, China
xi
xii Scientific Committee and Organizing Committee
Organizing Committee
Secretary General
Haitao Wu, Navigation Headquarters, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Vice-Secretary General
Weina Hao, Navigation Headquarters, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Under Secretary
Wenhai Jiao, China Satellite Navigation Office Engineering Center
Zhao Wenjun, Beijing Satellite Navigation Center
Wenxian Yu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Wang Bo, Academic Exchange Center of China Satellite Navigation Office
xv
xvi Contents
Daming Bai
Keywords Particle filter Orbit determination Non-Gaussian Estimation value
1 Introduction
D. Bai (&)
Xi’an Satellite Control Center, Xi’an 710043, China
e-mail: 464864443@qq.com
D. Bai
Key Laboratory of Spacecraft in-Orbit Fault Diagnosis and Maintenance,
Xi’an 710043, China
and velocity is not Gauss distribution. In order to solve the nonlinear model and the
estimation of the initial deviation to the negative effects caused by the filtering, this
paper uses particle filtering algorithm for satellite orbit, and its effectiveness is
proved by mathematical simulation.
The particle filter is used for target tracking, and its principle is that the particle filter
(Particle Filter PF) is a kind of approximate Bayesian filtering algorithm [1, 4]
based on Monte Carlo simulation; its core idea is to use some discrete random
sampling points (particle) probability density function to approximate the system
random variable, instead of integral to the sample mean to obtain estimation of the
state minimum variance. A mathematical description for the stationary random
process, assuming that k − 1 moment system of the posterior probability density for
pðxk1 jzk1 Þ random samples selected n according to certain principles, k time
measurement information, through state prediction and time update process, n
particle of the posterior probability density can be approximated as pðxk jzk Þ. As the
number of particles increases, the probability density function of the particle is
gradually approaching the probability density function of the state. Particle filter
can be applied to any nonlinear stochastic system. With the improvement of
computer performance, the method has been paid more and more attention to [4].
The basic problem of the orbit determination is as follows: The dynamic process
of a differential equation is not exactly known, and the optimal estimation of the
motion state of the satellite in a certain sense is solved using the observation value
with error and the not accurate initial state. When the system can be described as a
linear model, and the system and the measurement error are white noise, the
unbiased optimal estimation in statistical sense can be obtained by Kalman filtering
[5]. However, in practical applications, the target motion model and the measure-
ment model are mostly nonlinear; the noise is non-Gauss; and the traditional
Kalman filter application has been limited. Relative orbit determination problem is
usually based on the Hill equation using extended Kalman filtering algorithm to
estimate the state of the target aircraft. Because of the need to linearize the state
equation and the Hill equation which is only applicable to the relative distance
filtering calculation, when the relative distance or large initial errors are easy to
cause filter divergence and its application scope has been greatly constrained,
therefore, the application to the relative distance between the target orbit determi-
nation method will be an important direction for future research.
With the development of space technology, the requirement of spacecraft orbit
precision becomes higher and higher. The data processing methods of satellite orbit
determination can be divided into two categories: (1) batch processing. Using all
data to get track and related parameter of the epoch is a method of post-processing,
needs to store a large number of observation value, and demands high processing
Orbit Determination Based on Particle Filtering Algorithm 5
ability of computer. (2) Sequential recursive method. When the observation value is
reached, the corresponding processing is performed, and the next moment is no
longer observed by the previous moment. The particle filter algorithm is a
sequential recursive method; the data processing only uses the current value of
observation data and the previous data storage, and requires lower capacity of the
computer. The particle filter algorithm for solving nonlinear and non-Gauss prob-
lems has obvious theoretical advantages, such as the algorithm can be used to set
orbit spacecraft, which is bound to improve the accuracy of orbit determination.
However, no one shows any interest in the research model, algorithm, and appli-
cation of the precise orbit of the spacecraft.
The satellite is subjected to various forces in the course of the movement around the
earth; these forces can be divided into two categories: one is conservative forces;
the other is the divergent force [6]. Conservative forces include earth gravity, day,
month, the gravity of the planet to the satellite, and the gravitational field changes
caused by the earth tide phenomenon. For conservative force systems, it can be
described by the “bit function”. The divergence force includes the atmospheric
resistance, the earth infrared radiation, and the power of satellite attitude control.
The divergence force does not have the position function, so the expression is
directly used. The expressions of the above forces are very complex. Besides the
two-body problem, it is difficult to obtain the analytical solution of the motion
equation of the satellite, which is usually based on the approximate analytical
solution.
On orbit determination, dynamic model is not very accurate. The main point is as
follows: Under certain accuracy, dynamic model omits some perturbed factors,
even without omission, it also made some simplifications and approximations. In
the considered perturbation factors, the model parameters are approximate. The
initial state of general satellite r0 and v0 could not be precisely known; only the
reference value r0 and v0 needs to continue to refine the satellite observation ref-
erence value in order to obtain the initial motion state r0 and v0 of satellite.
Measurement data itself are not very accurate; the equipment itself and a variety of
factors affect measurement data with random error and system error. Therefore, the
orbit estimation problem is a dynamic process which is not known exactly for the
differential equation, and the best estimate of the satellite motion state is obtained
using the observational data with random errors and the inaccurate initial state.
6 D. Bai
The particle filter algorithm is used to calculate the satellite motion. The state of the
next moment is calculated according to the current state of the moment. In addition,
it is necessary to obtain the real observations by an observation equation
(1) Equation of state
Aircraft dynamics equation can be expressed as
9
x_ ¼ vx >
>
>
y_ ¼ vy >
>
>
>
z_ ¼ vz >
=
x_ ¼ x2 þ yu2 þ z2 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
x
þ f a
T x þ f px ð1Þ
x þy þz
2 2 2
>
>
y_ ¼ x2 þ yu2 þ z2 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
y
þ f a þ f >
>
T y py >
>
x2 þ y2 þ z2 >
>
z_ ¼ u
x2 þ y2 þ z2
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi þ f a þ f ;
z
T z pz
x2 þ y2 þ z2
In the formula, x, y, and z are the position vector components as the target in
inertial system; vx , vy , and vz are the velocity vector component of target in inertial
coordinate system; u is the earth gravity parameters; fpx , fpy , and fpz are the per-
turbation accelerations, and said fT for thrust acceleration; ax , ay , and az for thrust
acceleration vector components. Considering the impact of the J2 perturbation
potential function for earth oblateness,
u 2 1
UJ2 ¼ R J2 ð3 sin2 f 1Þ: ðð2ÞÞ
r3 e 2
In the formula, Re is for the equatorial radius; sin / ¼ rz; J2 for the two-order
harmonic coefficient; and / for the spherical coordinate system defined position
angle. J2 perturbation in Cartesian coordinates for the component, respectively:
The target state model can be divided into two types: non-maneuvering and
maneuvering model. The difference is the influence of thrust acceleration.
(2) Observation equation analysis
Generally, the discrete time system filter is a mature linear estimation theory in
mathematical theory and mathematical methods [5]. However, the orbit determi-
nation is exactly the state equation and observation equations are nonlinear, which
is the main content of this paper.
Orbit Determination Based on Particle Filtering Algorithm 7
The relationship between the measured observations and the state vector of the
satellite is obtained by the tracking and measuring system, and the satellite
observations are oblique distance, slant distance change rate, azimuth, and elevation
angle. The determination of satellite orbit is the observation value obtained by
real-time measurement, and the satellite position is estimated sequentially. The
particle filter algorithm used in this paper is to solve the optimal estimation of
satellite position. n-dimensional linear dynamic systems and m-dimensional linear
observation system equations are described as follows:
)
Xk ¼ f k;k1 Xk1 þ Wk1
ð3Þ
Zk ¼ H k Xk þ Vk
In the formula, Xk is for the n-dimensional state vector system in the moment k,
k ¼ 1; 2; . . .; f k;k1 , called the state transition matrix; the reaction system sampling
time state from k 1 to k is the sampling time state transform; Wk 1 is for the
random disturbances acting on the system at the time k, called the model for noise;
Zk is for the m-dimensional observation vector; H k is for the observation the m n
order of the matrix, for the conversion from the state Xk to the measurements Zk ; Vk
is for the m-dimensional measurement noise.
In the horizontal coordinate system of the TT&C station, the measured is slant
distance R, slant distance change rate R, _ azimuth angle A, and elevation angle E.
The rectangular coordinate in the horizontal coordinate system of the TT&C station
is ðx; y; z; x_ ; y_ ; z_ Þ, in that way:
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 9
R¼ x2 þ y2 þ z 2 > >
>
>
þ þ >
>
R_ ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi >
x_
x y_y z_z
>
>
x2 þ y2 þ z 2 > >
>
>
8 y =
>
< arctan x[0 : ð4Þ
x >
>
A¼ >
>
: arctan y þ p x\0 >
> >
>
>
>
x z > >
>
>
;
E ¼ arcsin
R
Through the tracking and measuring system, the relationship between the measured
observations and the state vector of the satellite is nonlinear, and the satellite
observations are oblique distance, slant distance change rate, azimuth, and elevation
angle. Satellite orbit determination means sequential estimation of the location of
the satellite based on the observed value of a real-time measurement; the particle
filter algorithm used in this paper is to solve the problem of the best estimation of
satellite position.
8 D. Bai
Bias filtering provides a way to describe the tracking problem. The tracking
problem can be considered as at the present time t, the state of the target is Xt . Given
all observation states Z t fZ1 ; . . .; Zt g, the posterior probability distribution pðxt jzt Þ of
the target state is obtained. In the tracking process, the target is often divided into
multiple regions (assuming for n) tracking, and this will describe the state of the
target for a joint state Xt , fXit gni¼1 , and at the moment t, the target tracking of the
posterior probability distribution formula is as follows:
Z
PðXt jZ Þ ¼ cPðZt jXt Þ PðXt jXt1 ÞP Xt1 jZ t1 dXt1 :
t
ð5Þ
In the formula, PðZt jXt Þ is for the probability of the observed value Zt at the
given moment t state Xt ; PðXt jXt1 Þ for the motion model represents the probability
that the state Xt1 of the previous moment t 1 is predicted to the current moment t
target state Xt .
In the actual calculation, obtaining the integral formula (5) is difficult, so this
paper uses the sequential importance resampling (SIR) particle filter [7], to get the
integral value by sampling. It is assumed that the moment t 1 of the posterior
probability distribution PðXt1 jZ t1 Þ can be approximated as number for
n oN
ðr Þ ðr Þ ðr Þ
N-weighted particle, i.e., PðXt1 jZ t1 Þ Xt1 ; pt1 ; pt1 is the weight of the
r¼1
first r particle, and the integral value of the formula (5) can be approximated by the
following Monte Carlo method:
X
ðr Þ ðr Þ
PðXt jZ t Þ cPðZt jXt Þ pt1 P Xt jXt1 : ð6Þ
r
Through the LEO satellite and geosynchronous satellite launch phase tracking
and GPS, the simulation data based on this model has shown that particle filter
algorithm can be used to solve the nonlinear problem of satellite orbit determina-
tion, and will have a great effect on satellite orbit determination to raise the level of
valuation.
5 Conclusions
The estimation of satellite orbit is usually based on the assumption that the dis-
tribution of state variables is approximated by Gauss distribution, so as to estimate
the mean and covariance of the state variables. When the distribution of state
variables is obviously not Gauss distribution, the performance of the usual esti-
mation algorithm will be reduced (such as extended Kalman filtering algorithm). In
addition, even though the initial distribution of position and velocity is Gauss
distribution, the process noise and measurement noise are Gauss white noise.
Because of the nonlinearity in the model, the actual distribution of position and
velocity is not Gauss distribution. In order to solve the negative influence brought
by the nonlinearity of the model and the large estimation of the initial bias on the
rail estimation, this paper applies particle filtering algorithm to estimate satellite
orbit, and its effectiveness is proved by simulation. At the same time, the algorithm
will also have a profound impact on the estimation of the state of satellite fault
diagnosis.
References
Abstract In order to improve the accuracy of satellite clock bias (SCB) prediction,
a combined model is proposed. In combined model, polynomial model is used to
extract the trend of SCB, which can enhance relevance of data and improve effi-
ciency of ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD). Simultaneously,
residual data is decomposed into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) and a
remainder term according to EEMD. Principal component analysis (PCA) is
introduced to distinguish IMFs using frequency as a reference, and high-frequency
sequence is the sum of IMFs with high frequency, low-frequency sequence is the
sum of IMFs with low frequency and the remainder term. Meanwhile, LSSVM
model is employed to predict the high-frequency sequence, and other sequence is
predicted by GM(1,1) model. The final consequence is the combination of these
two models and the SCB’s trend. SCBs from four different satellites are selected to
evaluate the performance of this combined model. Results show that combined
model is superior to conventional model both in 6- and 24-h prediction. Especially,
as for Cs clock, it achieves 6-h prediction error less than 3 ns, and 24-h prediction
error less than 8 ns.
1 Introduction
system continuously, namely SCB may not be acquired in real time. Therefore,
predicting SCB plays a significant role in the service of satellite [1–4].
At present, for improving the performance of predicting SCB, several models
have been proposed, such as gray model, least square support vector machine
(LSSVM) model, autoregressive model, etc. In [1], Cui et al. proposed a prediction
model based on gray theory, which had negative performance to predict the SCB
with poor stability; and in [2], Liu et al. used LSSVM to predict SCB, which
received higher precision. However, the optimal parameters of LSSVM cannot be
certain. Autoregressive model was also used to the predict SCB, nevertheless, this
model not only based on large-scale data, but also was sensitive to stability of
original data.
In order to enhance the performance of SCB prediction model, a combined
prediction model is proposed. In the combined model, polynomial model is used to
extract the trend of SCB, which can improve not only relevance of data, but also
efficiency of ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD). Then, EEMD is
used to decompose the residual data into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs)
and a remainder term. The two sequences with high and low frequencies are
reconstructed according to principal component analysis (PCA). Finally, LSSVM
model is employed to predict the high-frequency sequence. As well, the
low-frequency sequence is predicted by the GM(1,1) model. The final consequence
is the combination of these models.
In this paper, we use the EEMD combined with LSSVM model and GM(1,1) model
to predict the SCB, and these three models are presented as follows, respectively.
Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) can decompose the complicated signal into
intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), which bases on the local characteristic timescales
of a signal [5–7]. However, the problem of mode mixing exists in EMD. Mode
mixing is defined as a single IMF including oscillations of dramatically disparate
scales, or a component of a similar scale residing in different IMFs. So ensemble
empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) is introduced to eliminate the mode mixing
phenomenon and obtain the actual time–frequency distribution of seismic signal.
EEMD adds white noise to the data, which distributes uniformly in the whole time–
frequency space. The bits of signals of different scales can be automatically
designed onto proper scales of reference established by the white noises. EEMD
can decompose the signal f(t) into the following style:
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one of the last legislatures, who might have come out of one of
Lever’s novels. He was undoubtedly a bad case, but had a genuine
sense of humor, and his “bulls” made him the delight of the house.
One day I came in late, just as a bill was being voted on, and
meeting my friend, hailed him, “Hello, Pat, what’s up? what’s this
they’re voting on?” to which Pat replied, with contemptuous
indifference to the subject, but with a sly twinkle in his eye, “Oh,
some unimportant measure, sorr; some local bill or other—a
constitutional amendment!”
The old Dublin Parliament never listened to a better specimen of a
bull than was contained in the speech of a very genial and pleasant
friend of mine, a really finished orator, who, in the excitement
attendant upon receiving Governor Cleveland’s message vetoing the
five-cent-fare bill, uttered the following sentence: “Mr. Speaker, I
recognize the hand that crops out in that veto; I have heard it
before!”
One member rather astonished us one day by his use of the word
“shibboleth.” He had evidently concluded that this was merely a
more elegant synonym of the good old word shillalah, and in
reproving a colleague for opposing a bill to increase the salaries of
public laborers, he said, very impressively, “The throuble wid the
young man is, that he uses the wurrd economy as a shibboleth,
wherewith to strike the working man.” Afterwards he changed the
metaphor, and spoke of a number of us as using the word “reform”
as a shibboleth, behind which to cloak our evil intentions.
A mixture of classical and constitutional misinformation was
displayed a few sessions past in the State Assembly when I was a
member of the Legislature. It was on the occasion of that annual
nuisance, the debate upon the Catholic Protectory item of the Supply
Bill. Every year some one who is desirous of bidding for the Catholic
vote introduces this bill, which appropriates a sum of varying
dimensions for the support of the Catholic Protectory, an excellent
institution, but one which has no right whatever to come to the State
for support; each year the insertion of the item is opposed by a small
number of men, including the more liberal Catholics themselves, on
proper grounds, and by a larger number from simple bigotry—a fact
which was shown two years ago, when many of the most bitter
opponents of this measure cheerfully supported a similar and equally
objectionable one in aid of a Protestant institution. On the occasion
referred to there were two assemblymen, both Celtic gentlemen, who
were rivals for the leadership of the minority; one of them a stout,
red-faced man, who may go by the name of the “Colonel,” owing to
his having seen service in the army; while the other was a dapper,
voluble fellow, who had at one time been a civil justice and was
called the “Judge.” Somebody was opposing the insertion of the item
on the ground (perfectly just, by the way) that it was unconstitutional,
and he dwelt upon this objection at some length. The Judge, who
knew nothing of the constitution, except that it was continually being
quoted against all of his favorite projects, fidgeted about for some
time, and at last jumped up to know if he might ask the gentleman a
question. The latter said, “Yes,” and the Judge went on, “I’d like to
know if the gintleman has ever personally seen the Catholic
Protectoree?” “No, I haven’t,” said his astonished opponent. “Then,
phwat do you mane by talking about its being unconstitootional? It’s
no more unconstitootional than you are!” Then, turning to the house,
with slow and withering sarcasm, he added, “The throuble wid the
gintleman is that he okkipies what lawyers would call a kind of a
quasi-position upon this bill,” and sat down amid the applause of his
followers.
His rival, the Colonel, felt he had gained altogether too much glory
from the encounter, and after the nonplussed countryman had taken
his seat, he stalked solemnly over to the desk of the elated Judge,
looked at him majestically for a moment, and said, “You’ll excuse my
mentioning, sorr, that the gintleman who has just sat down knows
more law in a wake than you do in a month; and more than that,
Mike Shaunnessy, phwat do you mane by quotin’ Latin on the flure of
this House, when you don’t know the alpha and omayga of the
language!” and back he walked, leaving the Judge in humiliated
submission behind him.
The Judge was always falling foul of the Constitution. Once, when
defending one of his bills which made a small but wholly indefensible
appropriation of State money for a private purpose, he asserted “that
the Constitution didn’t touch little things like that”; and on another
occasion he remarked to me that he “never allowed the Constitution
to come between friends.”
The Colonel was at that time chairman of a committee, before
which there sometimes came questions affecting the interests or
supposed interests of labor. The committee was hopelessly bad in its
composition, most of the members being either very corrupt or
exceedingly inefficient. The Colonel generally kept order with a good
deal of dignity; indeed, when, as not infrequently happened, he had
looked upon the rye that was flavored with lemon-peel, his sense of
personal dignity grew till it became fairly majestic, and he ruled the
committee with a rod of iron. At one time a bill had been introduced
(one of the several score of preposterous measures that annually
make their appearance purely for purposes of buncombe), by whose
terms all laborers in the public works of great cities were to receive
three dollars a day—double the market price of labor. To this bill, by
the way, an amendment was afterwards offered in the house by
some gentleman with a sense of humor, which was to make it read
that all the inhabitants of great cities were to receive three dollars a
day, and the privilege of laboring on the public works if they chose;
the original author of the bill questioning doubtfully if the amendment
“didn’t make the measure too sweeping.” The measure was, of
course, of no consequence whatever to the genuine laboring men,
but was of interest to the professional labor agitators; and a body of
the latter requested leave to appear before the committee. This was
granted, but on the appointed day the chairman turned up in a
condition of such portentous dignity as to make it evident that he had
been on a spree of protracted duration. Down he sat at the head of
the table, and glared at the committeemen, while the latter, whose
faces would not have looked amiss in a rogues’ gallery, cowered
before him. The first speaker was a typical professional laboring
man; a sleek, oily little fellow, with a black mustache, who had never
done a stroke of work in his life. He felt confident that the Colonel
would favor him,—a confidence soon to be rudely shaken,—and
began with a deprecatory smile:
“Humble though I am——”
Rap, rap, went the chairman’s gavel, and the following dialogue
occurred:
Chairman (with dignity). “What’s that you said you were, sir?”
Professional Workingman (decidedly taken aback). “I—I said I was
humble, sir?”
Chairman (reproachfully). “Are you an American citizen, sir?”
P. W. “Yes, sir.”
Chairman (with emphasis). “Then you’re the equal of any man in
this State! Then you’re the equal of any man on this committee!
Don’t let me hear you call yourself humble again! Go on sir!”
After this warning the advocate managed to keep clear of the
rocks until, having worked himself up to quite a pitch of excitement,
he incautiously exclaimed, “But the poor man has no friends!” which
brought the Colonel down on him at once. Rap, rap, went his gavel,
and he scowled grimly at the offender while he asked with deadly
deliberation:
“What did you say that time, sir?”
P. W. (hopelessly). “I said the poor man had no friends, sir.”
Chairman (with sudden fire). “Then you lied, sir! I am the poor
man’s friend! so are my colleagues, sir!” (Here the rogues’ gallery
tried to look benevolent.) “Speak the truth, sir!” (with sudden change
from the manner admonitory to the manner mandatory). “Now, you
sit down quick, or get out of this somehow!”
This put an end to the sleek gentleman, and his place was taken
by a fellow-professional of another type—a great, burly man, who
would talk to you on private matters in a perfectly natural tone of
voice, but who, the minute he began to speak of the Wrongs (with a
capital W) of Labor (with a capital L), bellowed as if he had been a
bull of Bashan. The Colonel, by this time pretty far gone, eyed him
malevolently, swaying to and fro in his chair. However, the first effect
of the fellow’s oratory was soothing rather than otherwise, and
produced the unexpected result of sending the chairman fast asleep
sitting bolt upright. But in a minute or two, as the man warmed up to
his work, he gave a peculiarly resonant howl which waked the
Colonel up. The latter came to himself with a jerk, looked fixedly at
the audience, caught sight of the speaker, remembered having seen
him before, forgot that he had been asleep, and concluded that it
must have been on some previous day. Hammer, hammer, went the
gavel, and—
“I’ve seen you before, sir!”
“You have not,” said the man.
“Don’t tell me I lie, sir!” responded the Colonel, with sudden
ferocity. “You’ve addressed this committee on a previous day!”
“I’ve never—” began the man; but the Colonel broke in again:
“Sit down, sir! The dignity of the chair must be preserved! No man
shall speak to this committee twice. The committee stands
adjourned.” And with that he stalked majestically out of the room,
leaving the committee and the delegation to gaze sheepishly into
each other’s faces.
OUTSIDERS.
After all, outsiders furnish quite as much fun as the legislators
themselves. The number of men who persist in writing one letters of
praise, abuse, and advice on every conceivable subject is appalling;
and the writers are of every grade, from the lunatic and the criminal
up. The most difficult to deal with are the men with hobbies. There is
the Protestant fool, who thinks that our liberties are menaced by the
machinations of the Church of Rome; and his companion idiot, who
wants legislation against all secret societies, especially the Masons.
Then there are the believers in “isms,” of whom the women-
suffragists stand in the first rank. Now I have always been a believer
in woman’s rights, but I must confess I have never seen such a
hopelessly impracticable set of persons as the woman-suffragists
who came up to Albany to get legislation. They simply would not
draw up their measures in proper form; when I pointed out to one of
them that their proposed bill was drawn up in direct defiance of
certain of the sections of the Constitution of the State he blandly
replied that he did not care at all for that, because the measure had
been drawn up so as to be in accord with the Constitution of Heaven.
There was no answer to this beyond the very obvious one that
Albany was in no way akin to Heaven. The ultra-temperance people
—not the moderate and sensible ones—are quite as impervious to
common sense.
A member’s correspondence is sometimes amusing. A member
receives shoals of letters of advice, congratulation, entreaty, and
abuse, half of them anonymous. Most of these are stupid; but some
are at least out of the common.
I had some constant correspondents. One lady in the western part
of the State wrote me a weekly disquisition on woman’s rights. A
Buffalo clergyman spent two years on a one-sided correspondence
about prohibition. A gentleman of Syracuse wrote me such a stream
of essays and requests about the charter of that city that I feared he
would drive me into a lunatic asylum; but he anticipated matters by
going into one himself. A New Yorker at regular intervals sent up a
request that I would “reintroduce” the Dongan charter, which had
lapsed two centuries before. A gentleman interested in a proposed
law to protect primaries took to telegraphing daily questions as to its
progress—a habit of which I broke him by sending in response
telegrams of several hundred words each, which I was careful not to
prepay.
There are certain legislative actions which must be taken in a
purely Pickwickian sense. Notable among these are the resolutions
of sympathy for the alleged oppressed patriots and peoples of
Europe. These are generally directed against England, as there
exists in the lower strata of political life an Anglophobia quite as
objectionable as the Anglomania of the higher social circles.
As a rule, these resolutions are to be classed as simply bouffe
affairs; they are commonly introduced by some ambitious legislator
—often, I regret to say, a native American—who has a large foreign
vote in his district. During my term of service in the Legislature,
resolutions were introduced demanding the recall of Minister Lowell,
assailing the Czar for his conduct towards the Russian Jews,
sympathizing with the Land League and the Dutch Boers, etc., etc.;
the passage of each of which we strenuously and usually
successfully opposed, on the ground that while we would warmly
welcome any foreigner who came here, and in good faith assumed
the duties of American citizenship, we had a right to demand in
return that he should not bring any of his race or national antipathies
into American political life. Resolutions of this character are
sometimes undoubtedly proper; but in nine cases out of ten they are
wholly unjustifiable. An instance of this sort of thing which took place
not at Albany may be cited. Recently the Board of Aldermen of one
of our great cities received a stinging rebuke, which it is to be feared
the aldermanic intellect was too dense fully to appreciate. The
aldermen passed a resolution “condemning” the Czar of Russia for
his conduct towards his fellow-citizens of Hebrew faith, and
“demanding” that he should forthwith treat them better; this was
forwarded to the Russian Minister, with a request that it be sent to
the Czar. It came back forty-eight hours afterwards, with a note on
the back by one of the under-secretaries of the legation, to the effect
that as he was not aware that Russia had any diplomatic relations
with this particular Board of Aldermen, and as, indeed, Russia was
not officially cognizant of their existence, and, moreover, was wholly
indifferent to their opinions on any conceivable subject, he herewith
returned them their kind communication.[7]
In concluding I would say, that while there is so much evil at
Albany, and so much reason for our exerting ourselves to bring
about a better state of things, yet there is no cause for being
disheartened or for thinking that it is hopeless to expect
improvement. On the contrary, the standard of legislative morals is
certainly higher than it was fifteen years ago or twenty-five years
ago. In the future it may either improve or retrograde, by fits and
starts, for it will keep pace exactly with the awakening of the popular
mind to the necessity of having honest and intelligent
representatives in the State Legislature.[8]
I have had opportunity of knowing something about the workings
of but a few of our other State legislatures: from what I have seen
and heard, I should say that we stand about on a par with those of
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Illinois, above that of Louisiana, and
below those of Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and
Wyoming, as well as below the national legislature at Washington.
But the moral status of a legislative body, especially in the West,
often varies widely from year to year.
FOOTNOTES:
[6] The Century, January, 1885.
[7] A few years later a member of the Italian Legation “scored”
heavily on one of our least pleasant national peculiarities. An
Italian had just been lynched in Colorado, and an Italian paper in
New York bitterly denounced the Italian Minister for his supposed
apathy in the matter. The member of the Legation in question
answered that the accusations were most unjust, for the Minister
had worked zealously until he found that the deceased “had taken
out his naturalization papers, and was entitled to all the privileges
of American citizenship.”
[8] At present, twelve years later, I should say that there was
rather less personal corruption in the Legislature; but also less
independence and greater subservience to the machine, which is
even less responsive to honest and enlightened public opinion.
VI
MACHINE POLITICS IN NEW YORK CITY[9]
“HEELERS.”
The “heelers,” or “workers,” who stand at the polls, and are paid in
the way above described, form a large part of the rank and file
composing each organization. There are, of course, scores of them
in each assembly district association, and, together with the almost
equally numerous class of federal, State, or local paid office-holders
(except in so far as these last have been cut out by the operations of
the civil-service reform laws), they form the bulk of the men by whom
the machine is run, the bosses of great and small degree chiefly
merely oversee the work and supervise the deeds of their
henchmen. The organization of a party in our city is really much like
that of an army. There is one great central boss, assisted by some
trusted and able lieutenants; these communicate with the different
district bosses, whom they alternately bully and assist. The district
boss in turn has a number of half-subordinates, half-allies, under
him; these latter choose the captains of the election districts, etc.,
and come into contact with the common heelers. The more stupid
and ignorant the common heelers are, and the more implicitly they
obey orders, the greater becomes the effectiveness of the machine.
An ideal machine has for its officers men of marked force, cunning
and unscrupulous, and for its common soldiers men who may be
either corrupt or moderately honest, but who must be of low
intelligence. This is the reason why such a large proportion of the
members of every political machine are recruited from the lower
grades of the foreign population. These henchmen obey
unhesitatingly the orders of their chiefs, both at the primary or
caucus and on election day, receiving regular rewards for so doing,
either in employment procured for them or else in money outright. Of
course it is by no means true that these men are all actuated merely
by mercenary motives. The great majority entertain also a real
feeling of allegiance towards the party to which they belong, or
towards the political chief whose fortunes they follow; and many
work entirely without pay and purely for what they believe to be right.
Indeed, an experienced politician always greatly prefers to have
under him men whose hearts are in their work and upon whose
unbribed devotion he can rely; but unfortunately he finds in most
cases that their exertions have to be seconded by others which are
prompted by motives far more mixed.
All of these men, whether paid or not, make a business of political
life and are thoroughly at home among the obscure intrigues that go
to make up so much of it; and consequently they have quite as much
the advantage when pitted against amateurs as regular soldiers
have when matched against militiamen. But their numbers, though
absolutely large, are, relatively to the entire community, so small that
some other cause must be taken into consideration in order to
account for the commanding position occupied by the machine and
the machine politicians in public life. This other determining cause is
to be found in the fact that all these machine associations have a
social as well as a political side, and that a large part of the political
life of every leader or boss is also identical with his social life.