Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-10-07
PARTY FEALTY.

IL IS the duty OF every man 10 cOnsld-
er we'll before he gives his influence,
even in local elections, against the reg
ular democratic candidate. 1t is by
the democratic party that reform
must come, if it comes at all. There is
nothing more certain than if Tilden is
defeated in November the country is
given over, indefinitely, to tho same
men and the same policy that have
brought 1t to the brink of ruin. We
suppose there is not a man in Lafayette
county who does not heartily desire a
speedy return to prosperity. There is
not a man who does not know that the
democratic party is doing everything for
reform and retrenchment. We saw, in
the last session ofcongress. thatthe repub-
lican heads of departments asked fol-. and
the republican senate wanted to allow,
fifty-6ve millions Of dollars more than
the democratic house would consent to
give. And we know that the demo-
cratic house would have saved ten mill
lions more to the Taxpayers Of the
country, except for steady resistance on
the part of the republican senate. The
democratic house impeached Belknap.
and laid bare official villainy in others.
The republican senate refused to punish
Belknap. and covered up crime where
they knew it to exist among their party
associates.
People know these and similar facts.
and yet the republican party stands a
fair chance of carrying the November
election. Such q condition seems an
anomaly among an enlightened people.
Why is it?
We are not now considering what &C
tuates straight-out members Of the re-
publican party-eighty thousand office
holders, with their underlings, friends
and relations-vast numbers of con
tractors. with their employees, friends
and relatlons-yet greater numbers OF
expectant contractors and office .holders
taken together with the sophistry enun-
ciated from the stump and through the
press by ambitious and unprincipled
politicians will partly account for the
existence of the republican party. We
do not speak of what actuates its staunch
supporters. but OF other men.
1t is that a large number of people
are influenced more by private interests
than by = desire for the public good. A
gentleman from Indiana WAS telling, a
few days ago, how it Is in his own
county:
The county election comes off on Tues
day next. 1t so happened that at the
county nominating convention. some
weeks ago. there were two prominent
aspirants for q certain office. Funk and
Long were the rival candidates. AS
one of these only could be nominated,
the other was defeated; but the success
full man, Long. received only a bare
majority. This ought to have settled
the matter, but it did not. Funk, like
another man We could mention, nearer
home, declared himself an independent
candidate. His friends started all sorts
Of stories to impair the strength Of the
nominee, and have succeeded in crea-
ting 4 good deal of d%issension in the
county. The consequence is that not a
few are Disguised with the procedure,
and will not go to the polls at all on
election day. Some themselves
y way, and some another; some old
mep satisfy their consciences by saying
they are old-line wings, and though they
will vote for Tildep, are not interested
! in the local contest. Thus it is that the