South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1873-05-09
The Danger that Threatens the
Democratic Party.
From the Charleston Chronicle.

y,
desire, through your columns 10 call the
attention Of al who Wish for the perma-
nency and success of tue party TO the dan
/ gers which threaten il aud to direct the
/ public eye, to those who have brough, IL
into peril. IL is important that this should
be done, az most ofthe newspapers to which
! NC should look for information Of the p0-
iitical condition of the State, either wilful-
| ly misrepresent the facts or wholly sup
press them.
! When the democratic party succeeded
to power at the election held in 1870, no
party 10 this, or any other State ever had
The prospect Of brighter future before it.
y large majority of the people of tire State
gave willing trust to is They believed
It would r, deem the pledges it gave, TO use
the power conferred on il, for the good OF
he people; and administer the government
10 way tina, would reflect honor and cred
1t on tho party. | propose to show why
these pledges have not been fully redeem
ed; nor the expectations OF the friends OF
The party realized and to point out free
" and fairly tho most prominent causes
which have produced enbarrassmonti in the
party, aud disappointment to its friends
lie IL well known, that for some years
before the overthrow of the Repubi IAN
Party in the State, there was wide spread
and growing opinion, that Mni party had
used It's power more to consolidate and
strengthen itself, than to promote the gen
era! welfare. Party was considered the
me ms through which the politicians man
aged to get and hold Office: The party
was to be built M, and made parmaueut,
not for the benefit Of the State, hut for the
sake of the office holders and office seekers
The success OF the democratic party, was
a popular protest against this sentiment
The defeat Of tho republican party, aud the
victory of the democratic party were in
effect, an enunicaton of the principle that
the end and aim of all parties should be to
promote the welfare of the State, and ad
vance the public interest; and that no par
| ~ is fit 10 govern after it has lost sight Of
the public good, aud has become the mere
instrument of those who use il for their own
! personal ends With the experience of
the past before them, it did not require
an unusual degree Of wisdom, to main Sain
thee ascondency which the democratic party
bad acquired; because large majority of
the people confiling in the honest purpo
ses which had been decl ired by the party,
were inclined to Judge it very leniently
They were re1dy to overlook almost any
error of judgment. But they did think,
/ and they had right to believe, that the
power which hal been entrusted to the
party for the benefit of the whole State.
should not be perverted to the sole use If
political tricksters and dem1gngues. l.
was not within the range of belief that in
less than two years a set of seif-appnin,ed
leaders and managers would partially sue
coed in drawing the democratic party into
tho same path, snd lead it into the same
mistakes which hal brought about the
downfall of the republican party. And yet
this is true for the returns from the cleo
ton in October 1870, had hardly been
counted, before certain polticll hacks
thinking of porhng but their own interest.
and acting as if they regarded the party ae
their property, began to lay plans and form
combinations to raise themselves, or their
tools to Office, and they counted on the SER
vile acquiesenca of the party to obey their
dic,ation. The elements of the mbina
ton, II is true, were not Of the most har-
monlous character; but the manarers n
greed to forget all their differences, at least
! until tue othces were disposed of. Every one
who would not 60 with them, or who might
lnteiere with their plans, was To be nut
/ out OF the way. Accordingly within two
or three months after the Inauguration Of
/ Governor Jacob, in March 1871, finding
that he was not sufficiently plant, fire was
/ opened on him, in a distant part Of the
! State, through democrats PAPER. owned
/ hu oI ; b, loo.
date as May or June 1871, the succession
to tho chief executive ciiice began to be ar
/ ranged under the managemcn, Of the sWnr-
I wick ofthe Wheeling Rcyia,r During IN Q
sessions Of tho convention, aud the Trpisla
turc last year, these combinations and plaps
, we're diligently perfected, and something
resembling close corporation, which has
been aptly called the "ring," was formed
The 'Ting" Of necessity was not very large.
a. large number Of members would have
intcrfored with the objects most prominent
in It's formation. Tn, importlnt offices
were limited in number; pGd il was thought
that the party could bo managed more cas-
. NY by few whose interests would imprI
them to act tremendously, than by a dis
cordaut mulI'uio Soon after thc nd
tournament Of the Convention and L,gi.la.
ture, convention wls held Of Petersburg,
and the ioish.ng touch was given 70 the
work. N'miGatious we're made according
to the programme Of the "rins Many
honest and clrnost democrats went ~ She
Parker.bur, Convention ia tho belief that
ibcy wou.l meet their fellow democrats ~
make nominations, after a fu'l aud fair
comparison Of opinion others in tho siri-
p.iei'y Of their heurfs, thought that 10 such
an ls5emb'BEa fhe fret thing to be consider
cd wla The honor of TIC State, and tho sec
nnL LL-n.h- a.u-A N. IL. IN - ~ -