Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-11-06

The Republican press OF the State II
now pretty generally engaged In an
animated discussion of the proper
status of those gentlemen recently
elected to the Legislature as inde-
pendent Republicans over regular
Republican nominees. There are
only three Of these. The House will
be composed of one hundred men,.
bers, forty-nine or Atty Of whom are
Republicans, elected on straight Re-
publican tickets. The remaining
number were elected as Democrats,
Anti-Monopolists, Changers, Inde-
pendents, etc. The questions are:
Will these three Republicans, elected
on independent tickets act with the
Republicans or with the opposition !?
and if they wish to act with the Re-
publicans and claim admission to the
Republican caucuses, shall they be
admitted: In short, shall the Re-
publicans or the opposition have the
majority in the House, organize the
body, elect the Speaker and other of
ficers, appoint the committees, shape
Legislation in that branch, and carry
the responsibility which usually at
taches to the majority? AS Senator
Mccormack would put it, the ques-
ton is shall the honest men or the
Radical "thieves," "robbers," Evil
lains," "satraps." ETC., rule the
House?
AS to the matter Of admitting the
"independent Republicans" to the
party caueuses and party confidence
and corporation generally, we
should say let them choose for them
selves with which party they will
act, so long as they show good faith.
If they are Republicans still, and
declare full sympathy with the par
ty, endorse its State platform, and
support its State ticket in the main,
we cannot see just how they can
fairly be read out Of the party
againt their wish. If they seek ad-
to the caucus asspies-ifthey
are mean and dishonorable enough
to enter the councils of the party for
the purpose of betraying it, il their
records are such as to give good
grounds even for suspicion that they
would thus degrade themselves, then
it were better to let the enemy have,
the benefit Of their influence from
the start, without debate.
In proper meaning Of the express
sion, we like liberality in politics.
That party which requires that all
its members must agree entirely
upon all questions has not the pri-
mary elements Of strength. There
is much in the idea of political as
we'll as religious freedom which
clings tenaciously to the average
American heart. We do not mean
that we like Liberalism" in its
modern political sense. We like to
see man radical, but at the same
time not too swift to condemn every
man who happens to hold different
opinion. There are circumstances
which will justify a man in boiling
his party ticket and even becoming
an independent candidate in order
to defeat a bad man on the ticket.
though the circumstances which JUS
tify the latter do not frequently oc-
cur. A man owes fealty to his party
so far as in his judgment his party is
right; but fortunately Republicans
are not usually bound by any oath
Of allegiance to their party and Its
ticke cts, right or wrong.
There nny have heen good and
sufficient local reasons for the course
of each of these "independent" Re-
publicans in the campaign. Let
them be their own judges and choose
their own company. Coax them
never but do not reject them with
out some better reason than that
they were elected in opposition to
to the regular nominees Of the
party