The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-03-04
Scratching the Ticket.

A Connecticut gentleman has re-
Gently published a letter upon cor
ruption in politics; and probably ev-
cry body win abstractly agree with
him in condemning It. But con-
demnatiOn is not remedy. The best
and most intelligent men constantly
find themselves in a very unpleasant
dilemma. They discover that they
must either vote for candidates some
of whom seem to them uafit for the
Offices for which they are proposed,
or they must risk bringing into pow
er a party whose principles they alb
hor, and whose candidates are no
more worthy than their competitors.
This is an intolerable position. 1t
| is easy. to scratch the ticket, but that
will not always avoid the misfortune.
If the choice must necessarily be be-
tween corrupt men, some radical
change is essential, or the whole sys-
tenn will speedily perish. r-7.
Now one Of the chief reasons of
this repulsive choice which is so con-
stantly forced upon the voter, is the
general indifference to the primary
meeting. Itis there that the govern
ment practically begins. But of all
the voters in this country, how many
attend the primary meetings? A few
interested managers take care to fill
them with men upon whom they can
count, and they thus control the nom
inatiOns to every Office. The dele
gates to the Convention are selected
by these managers, and elected by
their trusty followers. The manage
rial will-or the slate-is then to be
broken only with great difficulty, if
at all.
So long as this general Indifference
to the primary meeting continues the
dilemma will remain; we shall all be
obliged to support the regular nomi-
nations, or cOnnive at the defeat of
the candidates of the party which
seems to US the best guardian Of the
public interests. If, therefore, it, be
accepted as a fact that the people will
not interest themselves in the pfima-
ries, they can keep the party pure
Ionly by scratching the ticket in cases
whore they know it ought to be
scratched. But ifeven by our negli-
gence corrupt men should have any
where obtained control Of the party
! of our choice, we are bound to do all
that we can do to battle them. A par
/ tv which such men control is no bet
ter than any other corrupt party, and
If the scratching imperils the whole
party it can only be because such men
control it everywhere, and because it
is their custom to name only men
that ought to be scratched.
Let every voter, then, if he will not
take pains to secure the nomination
of good men, at least try to defeat the
election of bad men. This protest at
the polls will tend to regulate the pri-
maries. It will remind the gentle
men in parlors that their candidates
will be supported if they deserve to be,
and not otherwise, and this conscious
ness upon their part would promote
the nomination of proper candidates.
| THarper's Weekly.
The above is an expression of views
we now see very often in our ex-
changes. The prevalence of cOrrup-
ton and fraud in nearly every depart
ment of the Government and gener-
ally throughout the country, has
aroused the indignation Of the better
classes of people, and there is u grow
ing determination everywhere to pay
more attention to the nomination OF
men for official positions.
1t is true as the Weekly says, the
chief cause of all our difficulties is the
general indifference to the primary
meetings. Until our people get 50
they can attend these meetings there
is no hope for reform.
The defeat of Col. Cumback for
Senator from Indiana, was the direct
result of the present growing effort to
head off the schemes and plots of pO-
llitical managers. We feel in duty
bound to warn the Republican party
that unless strenuous efforts are soon
made to exclude bad men from office
and te curb the ambitious desire tOl
| it's emoluments that now animates &c
\ many of it's members, it will quickly
meet the fate of the late Democratic
party. 1t has been a victorious par
ty during the past twelve years
| Demagogues and "pipe-layers" never
| possess an amount of principle wortt
speaking of. They are therefore al
ways found ready supporters OF th'
strong party. Their support is al
we'll enough until they begin to de
mand spay" for it. Then is whcr
the trouble begins, for as the Weekly
says: ga party which such mel
control is no better than any Othe
corrupt party" and the people vii
seek political reform by the use 0
some other organization. We wan
to guard against the rock upon whicl
others have split, if We can, an'
hence our warming words Athen
Messenger,