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Suggestions To Independent Voters

Suggestions To Independent Voters image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
June
Year
1884
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In an aiticle on "The Use and Abuse of Parties," ia the June Century, the Kev. Dr. Washington Gladden in conclusión says of parties: "What, then, is ; the duty of intelligent and patriotic men ; respecting them ? To thisquestion various answers are giren. "1. Keep out of the political lite. It ia i hopelessly corrupt. Yon can do nothing ; to puiify it. Let it alone. "Tliis is the argument of despair, ! lightly nrged by many frivolous and f'aithless souls, but not to be entertained - by any patriot. "3. Votealvvays, but belong tono party. Join the unorganized mob of Indepeni dents; take your place on wliat Mr. Chas. I Francia Adams Adams, Jr., calis 'the center of the ültiiig-board,' and put your vetea in eveiy elnctiou where they will do the most good- votiug ahvays for the best man, or, at uiy ratc, agninst the ' worst rascáis. "This is a comfortable way of doing polilicalduty; the practical difSculty is in determlnlng whlch rascal is the worse. Both are sometiuies so bad that it is hard to choose. " 'S. Muintain a loóse relation to one party or the other, but take no part ra the primury meetings, and bolt wlien they offer you bad candida tes or bad , mensures. The tlieory is tliat in thi serni-attached oondltlon you will nfiuenc I somewhat the nominations; that the party managers wlll be thinking of you wlien they make up the ticket. "Tuis, too, is apt to leave tlie vote j simply a clioice of two evils The gentle men lef t by you in charge of the primar; meetings are not sure to tliink of you and if they do, they console tuemselves with the reflecüon tliat the other fellows will probably iiominate a worse man than theirs. "i. Join one party or the other. Go nto the caucuses, if yon can get in. Take your pluck and your Independence along with you. Teil the gentlemen in charge tuut you are interested in the success of the party, and that you want to help keep it in ashape in which it will dererve to succeed. Give thein distinctly to understand that while you ask nothing for yourseir, you uitend to take a hand In ! Ihaplng the party policy and in raaklng ; tlie nominations; and tlmt you will bê gulded in all this by a Suprema regard for natlonal Interests rather tliati personal nleresls. IC In spite of your protests, I they make bad nomlnatloos, bolt the 1 nomlnatlona, and return to the cliarge tho next time, taking with you as many I as yon can of your well-intentioned neighbors. lt you preserve jour temper and use reoson, and keep standing up tor men and thingi tbat are honest and of sood report, peradrenture they wili listen to you at length, aod you may suceeed in liftlllg up the Rtandardl and in j)urifyingparty management. "Tliis last niethod appears to me by f:ir the wisest one."

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News