Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1852-05-25
ooUsrY ELECTIONS.

3 Mr.. BEELER : j have read, VIII th "S'l go
a communication in your last paper, unue :.
seams wifi The almost unanimous determination
of tie peopiesof the county 10 elect their Souhly
Officers without party spirit aud patty organiza-
lion and endpavars TO enkindle all the passions
that follow in their wake. Ihis IS PLAINLY ns
object, audit will femainto be seen wnethef tue
people will hold 10 their purpose, OF g.atns ~ ~
in his. Why the people haSethougnt proper 10
Danish marty from these elections, and why some
feto persons of both parties are disconnected IS
manifest enough. 49,
In the first place party spirit is decidedly on
the wane, and has already lost much oil IT'S ran
cour and intensity. The eyes OF the people are
opening to the factthat their material interests
are the same. and that party spirit is-astit has
been well described4the madness OF many tor
the benefit of a few" They are Disguised with
the mere contention for the spoils among the
leaders of the two parties, TO which partyIsm Is
now reduced. The language OF the leaders Is,
slust give us the spoils andyou Che peoPlel VIII
have the glory ofthe victory, YOU snaL see y9Il
party predominaie.' You will obscrvet that this
is The point upon which your correspondent
warmly insists. He talks all the lime about
Z" patronape.' and the 'dispensatIon of patron
age until it is perfectly plain that politics, with
out the spoils, would be tOhtm as lnsipld as a game
of cards 10 a ~professed gambler without q STAKE;
He SAYS .Fpatfonage in this country, IS regarded
BY both parties as the great source OF power
Now, let us examine this sentiment, and see
what it amounts to. Is it not this? That the
leaders oftIB sstas are bound to them only as
mercenarisIery NIs pay-the, spo'is uley g.
ceive for ~thetr@Sfstces And, VINO get lh's
..patronape'' so much dwelt on by your cores
pondent? Ave, who, under those settled or.
gganizations OF party which have been sanctioned
bv the people and are VIGOROUSLY necessary to
| the form OF Government under which we live; :
as he afirms in The foregoing quotation OF his
language? Why, a few OF the wire workers.
poIitical t~ricEsters and jockies, of each party,
who are CONSPICUOUS in all conventions, whether
national. STATE, county or district; and who in-
variabIyI succeed by their management, and no.
cus.pocus arts, in sharing out among a selectand
exclusive setof confederates all this same spa
tronage - ina word, all the honors and offices,
while the masses of the parties are headed and
driven and transferred aud battered like cattle,
for their especial and peculiar benefit; for their
honor and profit. Now, the mass of the people
of both parties are having their eyes open to
this thing, and this is the true reason of that
50 bad Split which the writer complains " has
grown up of late in the Democratic organization
in relation 10 county and district candldates."-
The same "bad spirit" as he terms it, let metell
him, and | amihappy to see it, has also grown
up of late in the Wing organization in relation
to county and district candidates" The people
are perfectly! aware-of both 'parties-that the
usual party machinery is calculated for the bene.
| I'LL Ol d NeIN VF hNA
swap of votesand bargains to carry one officer
are sure to faten upon them two or three indif-
ierent ones, AID hence ii is they prefer voting &C.
cording TO their own will and pleasure and with
their eyes opeu, instead of holding still like good
bows. las "'Dmocrat'' would have them) and
having the blind brides clappe6 on them. Those
Offices are allintended for tho benefit of the peo-
pie, and are not created to find and furnish
places for politicians, and therefore the people
should have tie most free and u~ntrammelied
choice ofthose persons who have the best quail
ications for tier offices, and not be confined to
party hacks, and such agents as party nomi-
nations and Iarty spirit would impose upon
them. Let tie people alone, leave them some
individuality q thought, action and choice, and
when each nan votes according 10 his own
Judgment andconscience, my word for it, the re-
suit will be pore nearly right, than when they
surrender themselves up as machines TO carry
out the purposes Of siuflling wirc-workers aud
political ~dictitors. This same writer enume-
rates some l~fty-four ofiicers-and he has studied
the run OF llese good thiDg<-and he endeavors
TO excite party Jealousy by venturing The predic-
ton that lortS OF ihcm will be engrosscd by one
party. And Ipon what is the prediction based?
Upon no cites IIct, whatever, but upon mere de-
cIamatory stfement. He refers, and can refer,
to no charg or fact OF combination designed To
produce anysuch result. lie speaks of advan.
t.ges got byone party. BY nominations +" in ad-
vance, Wat does he mean by denominations in
advance ! NOBODY mas yet heaFu OF any party
nominations , the county,, whatever. Different
persons havedeclared themselves candidates or
been declarcdby their friends, through the pa.
pers, which az open to all No advantage could
then be gaind by nominations sin advance."-
The candidats are all on the same footing.
But, to com 10 another proposition Of the wri
ter, whose OBJECT it is to take away from the mass
of the peoplfthe power to manage their own
County Elections, and to hand it over to party
%cliqnes, by appealing 10 party spirit. He says
that greg advantage is TO be gained TO party by
The patHnage to be exercised by the County
Court. His words are at Che County Court
will posses the greatest of all agents-poIitical
power-te dispensation of patronage. It will
possess tf power of appointment aud the distri-
button of pwer, which will be felt in every part
of the co4ty.'i Now, what "patronage," 81 ask,
will the 0untY Court have to dispense The
people suHly are not to be deluded. They know
that by theCoustitution iheyare to fill the Coun-
ty Offices, nd not the County Court. AS to the
safety of pGsons and property. as the Court may
be filled viii men of this or that wayof political
thinking, 1aave only to say, that when there is
any foundation for that distrust among the peo-
Pile, the Lod help them! If party spirit is to
reach the Sanctnary of Courts of Justice, how
long will itbe before it gets TO the jury box, too?
| now asklf every lover of his country, it any
a!lusion could be better calculated to arouse the
people of alIparties TO the necessity of treading
party spirit under their feet, in the election OF
County Diners, than this appeal made tot party
against ent4sting its "persons and property to
a tribunal o different politics? These are his
words "Ddnocrats, beware, you are now on
the very verge of committing your rights and
your properly into the hands of those who con-
slider you thiir interiors andonly entitled to their
protection aid sympathy What is this but a
bold avowalthat the decisions of the Courts are
to be coIorei by party When has the author
of this avowallheard any fear about apersons
and property Expressed by any one ofthe oppo-
site party, ia regard 10 the two judicial candi-
dates now befote the district9 No one cares
about the politics ofJudge SamueIs or Parker,
and they viii be voted for without a~ny.regard TO
party. And sir. thrust this will be the case in
regardto allthe County Offices.
OBSERVER.
n,mo.I,,, - rannoa