New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-10-03
CONNECTICUT TOWN ELECTIONS


The annual "tOwn meetings" for the cleo
ton of town officers occur in nearly all inc
towns in Connecticut On next Monday Ordl-
narily it may not be wise to carry party pol
itics into the choice of citizens to manage the
business affairs of small municipal corpora
tions: but there seems to be good reason for
making this year an exception to this i'll some
particulars. A Presidential election is pend
ing lin which both parties will STRAIN
every nerve TO carry majority OF
the voters of the State. 1t Is the
misfortune and disgrace Of our politics That
citizens whom we would trust implicitly
in all other relations in life, when they come
to be placed in positions where the interests
of party seem to demand it, wink at ana
perhaps assist III transactions that are at
least questionable, and sometimes unmlstaK-
ably fraudulent. Notably these temptations
come 10 the boards which have in charge the
registry lists and the admission of new voters
Those officers should be above partisanshlp
honest and ncoTruptible, 10 insure a 1alr eX-
pressiOn of the voters. In calling upon the
Liberals of Connecticut TO see to 1T that the
ballOt-boxes in the several towns are placed
in the control of true friends of Reform, to
insure which they must unite upon candidates
of their own in opposition to the Administra-
tionists, we do not mean any lmpuEitloh
upon the average honesty OF the latter. But
we do say that a party which compels such
men as Senator Buckingham to sign white
washing reports in which the corruphons OF
the New-YOrk CustOm-house are iiippantly
comDared with the financial management oil
a religious society, and which drags zen.
Hawley upon the stump In Pennsylvania 10
assist i'm continuing in power man whom ne
has publicly and privately denounced as "One
"of the worst men in American politics"
cannot DO trusted to name the guardians OF
the ballot-box at an election upon which its
existence is staked. 1t is for the friends OF
purity and reform, who are in this very
election making their most earnest protest
against the abuses and the evil tendencies OF
the Administration party, to take this matter
into their own hands, and elect those whom
they can trust.
More than this, the Connecticut town cleo
tons occur the day before the State elections
in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The re-
suits. if favorable to the Administration, will
be telegraphed on Monday night to those
three States as evidence that the tide has
turned against Liberalism in Connecticut and
will not be without its effect. The IN raj ia
fnence of the result can hardly be
overstated. There is no doubt in the
mind of any observant person of either party
that Connecticut will give larger majority
for Greeley and Brown in November than she
has given any candidate for years but the
ADMINISTRATORS will cling to the last straw,
and if necessary doubtless misrepresent the
vote of next Monday, in order to gain the
moral effect of it for the October States.
The duty of the Liberal Republicans
in the State is plain The work
done in October is vastly more telling than
that in November The skirmish line must
not he driven back. Give us, Liberal Repub-
leans of Connecticut-what you eau easily do
by united action and little earnest work
such q result of the town elections next Mon
day that the Administration party cannot dis
tort it into anything that will seem like encOur-
agement.