Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-05-17
]. N. HEDRICK & CO., PRoPRIEToRs.
. y,rAI poIurroAI Duty.

| This Is an important political year,
and 1t is, therefore, proper time to
ask every man to be up and doing his
duty, and the way to do it is to COM
mence at the foundation-begin at the
Township caucus. We have from
time to time, ever since we have been
connected with this paper, urged
with all the argument we could mus
ter and all the earnestncss that any
man could employ in a good cause, to
urge Republicans. to all como out to
the primary meetings and set the ball
rolling right, or at least, do their duty
in attempting to begin right. The
Burlington Hdackeye has enforced
this point so well in a recent editorial,
that we transfer IL to our columns.
That paper says: ta
l"nThere are men who regard politics
as a lnorass into which to stop but for
ever SO short period, or for never SO
urgent o cause, were to contract O dis
case more fatal and disgusting than
the lcprosy. Many of these men are
honest in this view of politics, and
are lead to it by religious convictions.
Such man will stand off at one side
and observe q town meeting or a ward
caucus in holy horror, and when it
has adjourned mourn over the de-
pravity Of human pciitics because
Deacon Smith was defeated for the
Office Of dog pelter by one vote by
Clubfoot Jack, the gambler of the
village. 1t don't seem to enter the
heads of these gentlemen that ward
caucus is a very small affair and that
the course of the entire campaign and
canvass is dictated by the ward caucus.
1t never occurs to them that if Dea-
con Smith is elected it will be by his
friends and not by the friends of
Clubfoot Jack. In their agony over
the impurity and corruption practiced
in pOlicical movements, they never
stop to estimate the value and influ-
cncc of a dozen or fifteen clear-head-
ed, honest-hearted citizens in a ward
caucus, and they stay away and give
up the caucus to the Clubfoot Jacks
and then lament that the ClubfOOt
Jacks did not vote for the presiding
elder.
Those who 60 into political eau
Gus and express their preferences hon
estly, have discharged their duty as
citizens. If they through lack Of
moral education or other causes, have
voted for bad men, they have made a
mistake but they discharged their
duty to the best of their knowledge
and ability. If they are out-voted by
another class and n man is chosen who
is unworthy Of confidence and bctrays
his trust, they have cleared their
skirts. They could do no more. But
those who refuse TO take any part in
the election of candidates for public
Offices in the primary elections while
they pride themselves upon their fine
moral perceptions and discrimina-
tions, are frequently directly respon-
sible for the very condition of things
they SO feelingly bemoan. Their
votes might have changed the result.
When man goes into Caucus he
need not pick his neighbor's pocket
to entitle him to a vote. He is not
required to carry bottle in his pOck-
ct if he does sit beside man whose
breath smells of rum. He is not re-
quired to take profane oath nor to
abjure his religion. He goes in as a
man among men, and If he has not
religion enough TO last him thirty
minutes in caucus he hasn't much Of
it and what he has wouldn't bear di-
luting. 1t is the duty of every voter
TO attend the caucnses and primaries.
II is at these meetings, often regarded
so contemptuolsly and attended so
poorly, that the foundation for the
work is laid. Almost all. other assem-
blies are delegate, and the delegates
represent the sentiment of the caucus
cs, SO that if the caucuses are given
up to the control of nnpriIcipled men.
that class of men will control the
convention and that class Of men will
get into Office. Come out to the pri-
maries. Attend the caucnscs, and if
you are out-numbered and out-voted
you will still have the satisfaction,
which is denied to those who will
not attend them, of-knowing that you
used your influence, aud did all that
you could to give affairs the turn
which seemed right and best to yon."