The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-11-27
his Brooklyn speech said; What is the
sense Of belonging to it of and on? II
IL la not fiji 10 belong 10. no one should |

his Brooklyn speech said What is the
sense Of belonging to it of and on? II
it is rot fit to belong 70, no one should
belong to it all. If it is fit-if, despite
the unworthy members and flaws and
short comiugs which inhere in all human
associations, it is the better OF he two
parties-then why not 60 for it and 60
with it and make the best OF it '" Aud
MIR. Dawes in Massachusetts,, won't into
Buffers district aud urged bis election,
not that he approved his conduct or bis
opinions upon many important subjects,
but that the party line of the Massa-
chusetts representation in Congress
might be ubbroken. Are these gentle.
men aware that this policy is just what
has defeated the party? If stand ng
by the party means standing by the
unworthy members and flaws and short.
comings-if going for it and going with
it and making the best OF it means go.
ing for the salary grab, and the moieties,
and Sanborn, Jayne &c Co., and Gov.
Shepherd and Judge Durell, and Buffers
tactics and moralities, and nominations
like those of Mr.. Charles S. Spencer
and Mr.. Bernard Biglin and Mr.. James
O'Brien-how can any self respecting
man come to any other conclusion than
that such party, in Senator ConkliDg's
phrase, is not fit to belong to?
at is the men that belong to the
party little, and belong to it off and
on, who make it successful, because they
insist upon good men and good meas
ures. 1t is those who go for it always
and under all circumstances who defeat
it, because, as Mr.. John Cochrane said,
they support the devil if he is only
regularly nominated. These are the
people upon whom knaves count to Sc
cure their schemes. The argument
urged by Mr.. Dawes in support of But
Ter was used two years ago in South
Carolina for the support of Moses. 1t
ends in electipg rascals to give us hon.
est government Mr.. Dawes said that
he differed with Butler upon n.~ny
questions. What, then, even from his
own point of view, Sas to be gained by
sending an unbroken Republican Massa-
chusetts line to Congress if it was to be
broken the moment he arrived
"With the present machinery of both
parties, to insist upon sustaining the
party, which means merely the regular
ly nominated candidates "ud the declar-
atoms of regular conventions, is to in
sist upon surrendering the Government
to clique of intriguers and traders.
Every Democrat who supports the regu-
lar city ticket in New York knows that
he is voting only as Mr. Kelly and Mr..
John Morrissey choose; but he goes for
it, Mr.. Jimmy Hayes and all, because,
in Senator Conkling's phrase, he thinks it
the better of the two parties. Now &
way to sustain and strengthen and per-
petuate great party is to oppose and
scratch and defeat all its unworthy can
didates. And why? Because if it is
found that regularity and "the party"
can not pull bad man through, only
good men will be nominated. To be.
long to party is not to -ccept and de-
fend every thing that may be done in its
name, and to support all candidates who
may contrive to secure its nomination
it is to support its measures and its men
when, and when only, they are worthy
o. support" -
These words are worthy of the con.
sidcratiOn of the Republicans of Michi-
gan. They come from man of rare
intellectual force. They carry with
them the weight of the practical confirm.
alton they have received from the results
of the recent elections. Mr.. Curtis
fully recognizes the force of the fact
that the party suffers everytime its ma.
chinery and the plea of regularity are
used to carry through obnoxious princi.
pies of political action and men who are
identified with them.