The Van Buren press., 1876-09-12
WHERE THE RESPONSIBILITY LIES.

OF the Argus, one would be led to iudg
that the election for representative to tn
Legislature was all that was held on tb
4th. Declining to notice any of the 9th
cr features of the election, when tier
We're about twenty other candidates il
the field, he discourses wholly on the de
feat of Wilcox, and the ingratitudc o
Durham. 1t is true that we gave Mr.. VII
cox the "best we had in the shop" anc
acknowledge we lent our aid to the clce
tlon of democrat and a better man, but
tailed in the attempt. But for the defeat
OF democrat to the legislature, all the
blame lies at the door of Mr.. Wilcox
We had no candidate, but gave our sup
port to Mr.. Neal, conditional that he
should on every stump, and on all otca,
sIons, declare himselfrcady to step down.
provided Mr.. Wilcox would do the same.
and allow u new man and democrat to be
nominated, that could and would unite
the discordant elements. Wilcox would
not listen to the proposition. "Dog in
the manger," it was him, or no one but
radical. He was not the nominee of the
democratic party, but was forced on the
track by aiders and abettors of the elec-
ton of Mr.. Grady, and to make a per-
! sonal issue between Mr.. Wilcox and our
self Wilcox had no more cfafnl 10 ue-
mand that Neal should give way to him,
than that the reverse should be the ease
All we asked, was that a new mana
democrat-should be selected. The Oil
yer Spring Convention, for two hours,
labored to effect compromise but, no,
Mr.. Wilcox and his friends would con-
eede nothing, but demanded that Neal
should "step down and out" without
why or wherefore. This he could not
do, and was perfectly justifablc in his
course. Wilcox's arrogance and selfim-
portance led him to believe that he
would sweep the county like a whirlwind;
he looked upon the combination with
Mr.. Grady as all important, and that
there was not shadow Of doubt of his
election. He stalled and lost, and upon
his own head rests all the curses for the
election of republican from this county
to the legislature. By the work of his
own hands he stands Inundated and dis
graced and politically ID, to-day.
Men, perseveringly blind in their own
conceit, fall, sooner or later and when
they do fall, it is great, and they find it
almost impossible to rise again. Mr.
Wilcox got hundred votes more on the
18th than he could get, to-day. We heard
one of his warmcst and most persistent
supporters and friends say, in the eve
ming of the election, that he had voted
for Mr.. Wilcox in the morning, but ifhe
had known Ms much then as he did later
in the day, he would not have given him
his vote. He was gentleman blind to
almost every fault of Mr.. Wilcox, but the
evidence that he was using his influence
for the defeat Of Mr. Winirey and the
election of Mr.. Grady, was too plain and
unmistakable. The cry of persecution,
Press-ring, etc, does not blind the dem
ocratic voters, now. The bare escape of
Capt Winfrey, by seren votes, has open
ed the eyes of many, wide. To think
in a county, where the democratic cam
didatc for governor has 3S5 majority,
that a democrat for sheriff, against whom
word is not said, in contest with rad
zeal, has to strain every nerve to obta n
a pitiable majority of Seren votes. Mr..
Wilcox need not attempt to shirk the
responsibility; to him, alone, is this risk
of electing radical sheriff attributable.
Why, the very man that claims the cred
it of making the move to bring out Will
cox, was persistent, INSCRIPTIONS work
er for Grady, and the township where he
lives, gave Mr. Grady 67 more votes than
the radical candidate for governor got
With all this treachcry and unblushing
perfidy staring him in the face, we are not
surprised that Mr.. Wilcox, feeling the
humiliation and disgrace, attempts to
shrk the responsibility on Dunham, and
cries out to be spared the well-mcrited
castigation his own friends are giving
him.
We supported Mr. Neal, a young and
consistent democrat, on whose name
there does not appear bemish, and we
do not shirll any responsibility that may
be accorded us in the defeat of Mr.. Viii
cox. Neither he nor his friends could
have expected anything else from us
than he got, and upon their own heads
rests the responsibility Of Mr., Warren's
election to the legislature, and the bare
escape of Mr., Winfrey, democrat, for
Sheriff. from defeat.
To Be Contested.