Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-09-15

connot sec corruption in your own party, though it
stalk unmaskcd in pen day before your eyes.
Every homes, man, though he be an active member
ofa political party, is bound by every obligation that
honesty, honor, morality and patriotism can lay upon
him, to lnterpose a prompt check TO every artiiicc OF
an unworthy member of his patty, to procure a noini-
nation 10 office, where party discipline would sweep
him into the Office sought, at the same time that his
own merits would not procure him n 1.-THE of the me-
ccssary suffrage. 1t 10 infinitely better, III all such ca
s y, 10 suffer temporary defeats, and let a more wor-
thy antagonist take the Office. You will thereby, in
many cases, save your party the disgrace of elevaiing
one who better merits a different kind Of Iteration,
and secure to yourself the appreciation OF all worthy
friends, and the quiet of your own conscience.
The great prevailing abuses incident to our elective
system, have their original source in the vicious minds
of unworthy aspirants to office, who depenl upon
couning intrigue and corruption, to cheat the people
out of their ~sutfinges and force themselves INTO Office,
rather than upon honest merit and consequent popu-
lariiy. For these abuses, there IL no remedy, save n
more general diffusion of knowledge, n more elevated
standard Of morals. and more exalte sentiments OF
patriotism and self respect among the great mass OF
Inc people, whose privilege and duty it is to cast the
elective ballot. The machinery of party, as at pres
ent organized, (ani no different o ganizntion would be
better will carry into Office, with few exceptions, all
persons who can ottain n party nomlhat on, IN dis
tricts, counties, towns, cities and wards, where the
party to which such nominated persons belong. have
a decided majority, irrespective OF their individual
merits or dement's.
He who has notan opportunity to witness the work
ing of the machinery Of party, on a great scale, where
it forges out high dlgnitarles of state, can always wit.
ness it on a small scale, wherever he may happier
to be located. lfhis observation be confined to a sin
gle ward. he can see how party AIDE man are pro
dnced. Take a case in the city OF r., in ward No. 7
There was a citizen who protested to lie a Wing, mos
probably because it was a Wing ward tina, he lived in
He had been generally accounted n wor,hiass fellow
by all the moral portion of the population ofhis ward
but he had q number of associates among those oil op
posjte character, who considered him a little less thar
. hero, on account of the rockies efronte' y, witt
which he braved those frequent ropulse which ART
the usual penalty ofdissolute habits, when such mer
termined, al length, to wipe offeverv stain of reproacl
with which his immortal conduct had inbued his char
acter, not by roformation. but by procuring himself tt
be elected an Alderman of the city.
The election drew near, and the time came wher
the machinery Of party was to be put in motion &c
elect city and ward officers. The evening vas mp.
pointed and tho hour named, when the Wing elector:
Of the ward were to meet AMI choose Their candlda'es
Now vas his time. He went to his intimate asso
ciatcs, and secured the ncce Ssary measures TO insure
hls nomination.. Each of these communicated The
plan confdentiallv to 8 ,ch as were suitable tools fol
tho OCCASION. Tickets were distributed secretary
vas enjoincd-every stout fellow, who was able for q
am or a row, was directed to repair to a certain place
where there was plenty of grog. at a certain hour, to
be ready to make a simultaneous rush al a given sig.
nal. They all assenb'ed-they all drank freely-th the
moment arrlved-the signal was given, and in the,
marched in a body, taking possession of the room
where the meeting was to he held. just as the clock
struck the specified hour. According TO arrangement
the meeting was organized, and The tickets were hand
cd IN before the unsuspected voters Of The ward haC
assembled. And when they did assemble, they founC
it impossible TO mate their way to the table where
tickets were received, through the closely wedget
crowd. who were shouting, Glowing and %guardln.
according 10 previous Instructions.
Theprdery citizens who assembled according 10 no.
tlce. found it impossible to be heard or TO act in he
half Of the canlidates Of their choice, and retired il
disgust. The poll was closed, the votes were corntet
and the intriguing gentleman was declared to be nom
mated by an overwhelming majority. Thus ninc,cc'
twen,ieths Of the legal voters of the ward were cheat
ed and defeated; and although they desriscd the fel
low, who had thus cheated them, they had not tn.
moral courage to suffer a good man ofopposite polite.
to be elected, but let the machinery of party SWEEP
him into office, where, instead Of eng exalted in pub
lie estimation hv the Office he had ro' bed from tn
people, he sunk the Office to his ow n base level, as i
the inevitable Consequence in such cases.
This, to be sure, is a mere fancy picture hut wh'
IS there who has not seen its exact lickness in real life
Go upward and onward, from grade to grade, am
from degree 10 degree, and this machinery Tough o
more complicated and ingenious h":i.ce. viii be foc;,
N operation, to elevate MS ~. worthy candidates to of
fees OF vastly NOR" importance to those who ar
cheated by IT. There is virluou< mind enough in tn
na'lor to prevent these abuse, ifit could be arouse
into action. Let all worthy citizens sound The alarn
and awake the people to a due appreciation of til
wrongs thew TINS slfFar r