The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-11-14
observation-disclosures

There seems to be sort Of chronic disposition
in certain quarters to ascrbe the cause of the re-
cent defeats OF the Republican party to the sin
reference of ofice-holders" We belong to that
class of folks who believe that oflice-holders can
and do make mistakes. We should like to be in
formed of people of whom this cannot be said -
That there are ofice-holders all over the country
who are mischief-makers and detrimental to the
party we readily but regretfully admit. But
that this is applicable to them all we Indignantly
gainsay. There are folks who are not Office
holders who make themselves busy in politics and
who do cause more mischief than good. Are the
office-holders to be sadded with the responsible
ty for this2
Office-holders are expected to make themselves
active and useful to the party. This is the stand
| ard set by the community. They think those
who live by party patronage should do the party
| work. If they are delinquent in this they are
made the targets of the party indignation and
ore threatened with decapitation by outside pres
sure. If he is active for the party the communi-
ty assail him for Interference" Ifhe isinactive
they say he is of no account and should have a
successor. What is he to do? lie can't do both.
Frequenty-uot as often as it shoud-his use
fulness to the party secures his appointment
When he gets it is he to become jackass or
nonentty-know nothing about politics and do
nothing for the party? But we are told that it
is the control of primaries and conventions by
them that constitutes their offending. We regret
that there is too much truth in this But whose
fault is it2 To say that the fifty thousand office
| holders in the land control the action of three
millions of Republican voters is paying very
shabby compliment TO the people. If every SIXTY
of the Republican voters ia the land is owned,
controlled and operated by one ofice-holder, we
are bold in saying that the SIXTY deserve worse
than they get. The fact is that the rights
and interests of the sixty would be more shame
fully abused in many instances than they are if
it were not for the Interference" of some office
holder to thwart, Illustrate and defeat the nefari
GUS designs Of some non-office-holding, self-seek
ing fellow-citizen who values his selfish advance
ment more than the welfare of the community of
which the sixty constitute a part. There is fre-
quent Interference" by office-seekers to get the
| "holders' out and themselves in. This ''inter-
ference may be more detrimental to the party
and the community than the action of the office.
holders. 1t may require the Interference OF
office. holders to defeat a disastrous combination
| Of this sort. The "ins'' and those who want to
get in clash in this interference. There is a
arge class of people who should take an interest
and an active part in this Interference" who
choose 10 be absent when the conflict wages at
the primary meetings Their non-interference is
1t is their duty TO be on hand and assist the Of
Gcehelder if his interference" is for the best in-
teres of the country, and the office seeker if his
interference is for tae best. Probe the matter
to the bottom and you will discover that the mis-
chief after all comes from the non Interference"
of those who have general-but not special
interest in the decision of political contests 1t
is everybodys duty TO assist in keeping every
body else on his good behavior. When this is
done there will be less complaint about office
holders interfering The defeat resulted from
Republican mistakes by Congress and the admin
istration. They should have been corrected at
the primaries By the people who were not there.
Leveling the cause at the eholdersis shrewd
device by which many hope to use the unsuspect-
ing people to get themselves in by working n
change. Our remarks are intended to be general
in their application.