The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-09-02

merely bee ause we find IL in the columns Q
a leading Locofoco paper, but we are paine
to acknowledge that the evil at which tn
Enquirer strikes exists in the Wing ranks
though in a much smaller degree. Such cor
ruption must cease--no party can long en-
dure on such foundation, and SO long as W,
are able we will denounce such nefarious pro
ceedings. The Press is the weapon tina
must be brought to bear on it, and it is tn,
Press alone that can effeo anything toward,
its removal. The political Augean stable.
must be cleansed, and to US given the Her.
culean task, let us then without fear, boldly
go to work-raise our voices as one man, and
the labor is accomplished.
A Prolific Source of Corruption and Fac-
| tionism.
Before the Democracy of this city and
county can hope to regain that standing be-
fore the people of the State and nation which
they once enjoyed, and which has been worn
away, like solid rock under the constant drop
| ping of the mountain rivuet, by combina-
ton of bad influences, which they tolerated,
at first through charity, till, united, they have
grown almost as formidable as the party, they
must drive out from their midst .and brand
with lasting disgrace good many abuses and
demoraliz ing practices which of late years
have been regarded by some men as part and
parcel of the Democratic element of success.
Contention and rivalries among members
of the party for the rich Offices are not the
only sources of corruption and faction in our
party. They are prolific Of enough mischief,
and call loud enough for the application of
RETRENCHMENT; but they, in their ma
ture, are accompanied by practices which
even the ordinary contentious for place and
emolument do not tolerate as proper or right
We will speak in palmer phrase, and the
reader will thoroughly understand and apply:
Regularly upon the return of an election
season, candidates for the offices to be filled
start out on electioneering missions. They
have their names announced-they have their
"claims" heralded-they endeavor to create !
all the interest and zeal possible in their in |
dividual favor. This may all be well enough |
in country where the humblest and even the
puMr idea has been often taught, "has a right !
to aspire to any Office" but it would be still
better to have the tables reversed once-if
not for the good it might do, for the novelty
of the thing-and let the people hunt for g.
electioneer for candidates. But, as some of
our aspirants for place have heretofore con-
Quoted one of these electioneering canvasses,
and, as it is too evident, some again are do /
ing it, there are uses and abuses which the !
voting masses-the honest and virtuous ad- |
herents to the party for the love of its prln-
denounce, rebuke, nd repudiate
and disgrace, wherever and whenever they
zee them resorted to or even hear of them
being practiced.
One of the abuses, degrading to the can
ddate and corrupting to the voter, is the /
system of electioneering on the strength of |
BRANDY and WHISKY. and through their
becoming, in the eyes of a
class, "clever fellows" This has grown to !
be an evil of magnitude, and is resorted to,
we are grieved to say, and hundreds are as
much grieved to see daily, by men who, on
other than political occasions, would scorn
to make personal favor at such cost of re-
putation. We have seen candidates, for q
time. refuse to "come in" to such a course,
but finally would yield, pleading that their
rivals did SO, and unless they followed the
"usage" there was no chance for notes.-the
'clever fellows" always treuted Now and
then this system of "drugging" ones self in
to popularity would SO disgust candidate,
who felt the claims of morality and good citi-
Sfr hot bo
abandon the field in disgust, and thereupon
he would have good cause to affirm, as has
thousand times over been said, that "no man
with proper SELF respect can get office any
more in Hamilton county"
This system of "WHISKY ELECTION
EERING" has been the paternity of another
'ice, in our opinion equally degrading and re-
'rehensible: 1t is the hiring of men, by
with money paid into hand, and
more promised in the event of success, to 90
around among cOffee-houses, shops, factories,
Sc., and through the county at public gather ,
ngs, to influence voters in ..favor of the {
certain aspirant and to poison their minds, by {
actious stories or downright ISLANDERS, against
vals. There are men engaged in both of
hese degrading means of getting office at this
'ery time, and more will engage in them, as {
he season progresses, unless the party,
wherever they see them practiced, rebuke it
~ some salutary lesson to the party engaged
n it.
This is why "good men," as hundreds ex-
'ress themselves, will not venture into the
ield, or allow their friends to introduce them
o the arena. Will it be contended by any
'ne, that, for any of the civil positions of the
State or county, we have not in our party, at
his day, as many talented, virtuous and COM ]
,etent men as we ever had! Have we not
men who would honor any station, not only ,
Is officers of the people, but as adherents of 5
he Democratic faithl No one will gainsay I
he fact. But the people are deprived of their q
ervices as men of ability, and station is de- $
'rved of their examples of morality aud ,
lignity, and party is deprived of their strength
Is the honest upholders of its faith, by the ,
'ery fact, and shameful it is, that, to get
places, they have to absolutely degrade them
selves, not only in their own estimation, but