Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-02-14
at'eekly Vrinitu Jmraal.
OUR AGENTS /:
PLEDGES AND DUTIES.

Inc pOilcy OF eAacunS pIeuScs VI leEls-
lative candidates, binding them in rad-
vance Of their election to the support of
certain class of legislation, is productive
otttwo results, either equally perncious
to sound principles of government. 1t
is a practice whicb.should be avoided on
all occasions: for while it fetters the ac-
tion of men OF honor anu principle c, it is
no restraint whatever upon those who are
not of that class. There is not a session
of the Legislature passes but VIC hear t'ne
same sbory-of members who have not
acted in accordance with their solemn
.Rledges, made during the CANVASS which
resulted in their election. Without
doubt there are many instances in which
pledges thus made are broken and while
also there are Instances of faithlessnes
..whioh cannot De too strongly reprobated,
there are also times, when q too strict ad-
aherence to promises given to irresponsi-
bic parties have been followed by results
of greater injury than would haye come
had the opposite course been adopted.
Upon most questions of public policy,
the platform of party gives the index Of
what the candidate, if elected, will carry
out, If the line of policy therein enunci-
ated does not meet the approval of vot-
er, he has the privilege of voting against
the principle, by casting his ballot against
the candidate representing it. If the cam
didate be man of honor, he can be re-
lied upon to support the principles to
which his party stand committed, with
out specific pledges, unless, in the exer-
else Of his better jpdgment,..he chooses to
rise above party, and vote in the way bis
duty as @ sworn representative Of the
people woula seem 10 point. If, on the
other hand, a candidate is not possessed
of that high principle which should char
acterize men chosen 10 our Legis lature,
of what binding force will pledge be
considered, when it comes in conflict with
his own self interest The man who will
disregard bis solemn oath of Office, and
betray the confidence of his constituency,
will be apt to pay but little regard to a
pledge made in the heat of political
canvass, and perhaps when made design
ed to be broken. As a rHle, it is safe to
say that if man cannot be trusted with
out specific pledges, and upon his own es-
tablished character for honor and prob-
ty, he cannot be trusted with them. 1t
is in this manner that men Of true princi-
pie are hampered through the ofticious-
ness Of zealots, and by making pledges
upon some subject for probable legislar
tive action which, when viewed with q
better knowlsdg of its merits is seen in an
altogether different light, find that the
private pledges they have given, are in
compatible with their public duties.
We have been led into this train of
thought by review of the proceedings in
the Assembly upon Mr., Freeman's bill
regulating Fares and Freghts, The As
sembly Committee on Corporations was
composed entirely of admitted enemies
tho railroad Company, some Of them
having been conspicuous for their enmity
injfoPmer years. This Committee deter
mined to force the bill through the AS
sembly, and succeeded. But in the de-
bate upon the bill at its various stages Of
amendment, engrossment, and passage.
q latent feeling of hostility to the measure
was betrayed, which did not dare to take
the form Of direct opposition. Members
were FREQ to admit that they did not be-
lieye the bill was one calculated to
meot the desired ends but they were
pted1ed TO vote for the reduction of fares
and treights and felt themselves bound
TO yield their own judgment to that of
the Committee and by the support of
measure they knew to be unjust in many
of its provisions, commit wrong upon
the people of the State. rather than run
the ii:k of a temporary unpopularity at
home by violating promises they knew
had better be broken than kept. This is
the plain English of their action, and
we defy any one TO make else of it.
And 1t only serves to prove to US that the
men who, TO secure an election, stand
ready to give pledges to the support of
measures of whose possible workings they
are in woful ignorance, are not the sort
into whose hands the law-making power
of the State should be given.
New that there is a possibility of the
bill becoming law, it is observable that
marked change has taken place in the
tone Of the anti-ralroad press of the
State upon matters Of this character. A
glance at the files of the Union will sat-
isfy any one on this point. That journal
has the faculty of reprinting everything
1t can find in the columns of its pewees
rejecting its own views. But it now
finds little in its exchanges that it cares TO
republish. The fact is, the Assembly
debate opened the eyes of people upon
this question more than years of discus
sion by the press would have done. 1t
was then shown conclusively that the al
legged extorti0ns and determinations ex-
listed only in the Imagination of the re-
form howlers, and many member elect
ed upon the almost sole issue of reform
IN railway management, found their
sense of public daty in conflict with the
blind pledges they had given.
a GOOD PAPER.-Thc Oakland Daily