The Worthington advance., 1876-08-03
rs THERE Il RINGI

rs THERE Il leING2
Let us look ut the facts and see:
/. In 1872, a member of the ringca]l-
ed together threeof= his friends z:in his
office, one of whom was his brother aud
another his business partner, and or
gani4da County Convention" whicl,
unanimously elected this member of tie
Ring a delegate to the Congressional
Convention. This was, called repre-
senting the people of Mobiles county,
and reminds us of the two or three tail
ors who got together in London and is
sued an address beginning "we, the
people of England"
~. 2 In the same year, Mr.. John Alley,
one of the truest and best men in the
county and the opponent of all rings
and all political trickery, was nominat-
ed by the Republicans for County Com.
missioner. 1t was found afterwards
that he was not. of the pliab1c kind and
not ring man.. Tie ring politicians
therefore brought out Mr.. l. P. Durfee
and slouldered Mr.. Alley off the track,
organizing bolt in the party and de.
veloping at the outset their "rule OF
ruin "policy.
3. Last Summer, some weeks before
the County Convention, I. P. Durfee,
VIM. NJ. Bear and T. c. Bell were over.
heard making up the ''slate" for the
campaign. A gentleman who was in.
formed of the selections made 10y the
Ring took down the names of the can.
lidates and when the County Conven.
ton was held, every one of the persons
mentioned at the caucus, except the Sc
lection for Sheriff, were nominated
Yet we are constantly told there is not
Il ring, and that men may get together
and put themselves on the "slate,' .
work themselves into Office, and not be
office-seekers and ring politicians.
4. Again. Last Fall, the ring select.
ed Captain E. S. Mills, of Bigelow, rs
their :: man for County Commission.
er in the Third District. Their selec.
tion was considered us equivalent to a
nomination and all election. So they
had the tickets printed with Captain
Mills name Oh before the Conrenti9n o.
his o'cn district which nominated him
,cas held. Capt. Mills, however, gave
the ring to understand ut once that he
was not Il ring man nor a politician,
and several members Of the ring were
overheard complaining that Captui,
Mills was "not one o. ,ls.''
5. This ring we call the Wortllingtor
Ring because every one of their selec.
tions is to all ihtents anti purposes /:
Wortllingtol man. Let any farmer
lock at the list Of county officers ;,s pub
lislled in the ADVANCE and see for him.
self.
Because we dared to have All opinion
about these matters because we dared
to ask that IL moe equal >livisi Oh Of the
offices between town and country be
made; because we dared to speak i1 the
mtldest manner possible against such
patent ringism; because we dared to
prefer Mr.. I. n. Safer 10 Mr.. I. T.. Dur.
fee for the Senate; because NC dared to
say through the ADVANCE that tic
large majority for the opposition ticket
i'll Jersey was Il protest against the
ring; we have been insulted, threatened,
broW-beaten and slandered day and
night, and the ring organ, the Journal
has been started with the ayowed ob-
ject OF running us out.'' Last fall
when our iirstdssue after the election,
appeared, prominent member of the
ring came III and assured us that tLey
would l'aye another paper here just us
soon us they COZ Id get it started. The
winter Was not favorable time fo,
starting paper and so they waited un.
til Spring. The next day after this
member of the ring Threatened us with
another paper, L. &. Bell, the editor of
the Journal, came Ill and called us Il
liar" and in the presence of three or
four gentlemen 10y whom we c;,n prove
what We say, tOngue-las!:e,l us III an
outrageous manner, all because we dar-
ed simply to state that the vote i'll Her
sey was protest against the Worthing-
ton Ring.
Farmers Of Mobiles county, is there
II Wortl,ington Ring?
The Journal asserts that it is not an
organ. 0, but we can proye it. The
st. Paul Pioneer-Press says OF the Jour-
nal: 1t is the organ of a county off,
cers' ring, and the result of Il quarrel
for the spoils." The Pioneer-Press is
authority III such matters. We knew
I'LL the time that the Journal was Il ring
and rowdy organ, but you know we
T.