The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-05-12
MARYLAND Politics.


Mr.. G. Irving Dirty, President Of the
State Council oe the Citizens Reform
Party Of Maryland, has issued his mani
festo, setting out with "whereas' and
whereas, followed by series of seven
resolutions sacred number setting forth
she objects and purposes of "the order"
A second series Of three resolutions fol-
lows the first, affirming that "the coming
campaign is but continuation Of the
first, and the need Of reform more urgent
aan eperp Yes. yes, we never knew it
otherwise. The need of''reform, or some
other stalking-horse, always becomes more
urgent as men are more and more eager
to snbscrve their party schemes. Reform
is popular idea with the masses, and the
title of1C Citizens Reform Party" is stalking,
and looks aud sounds well, and there is
nothing specious or of an ad cqptanduns
character about it. 1t is the pure gold
tried in the fire, sublimated and refined.
And then that horrid "ring," we think
we can see it now, horns, hoofs, tail
and all, and we think Mr.. Ditty sees it,
too, and that it causes each particular hair
Of his head to stand on end like quilts Of
the fretfal porcupine. A ring, clique, or
junto, is as necessary on the one side as
reform is on the other, If you want spir-
tied campaign. If you would pull the
wool over the public eye you must have a
Gorgon of some kiud to battle with, whose
snaky locks are calculated to petrify with
fear the simple minded citizen. You must
make showing Of virtue aud purity on
the one side to offset the vice and corrup-
ton on the other, and to bring out both
in bold relief aud in striking contrast.
Rings are hateful things and ought to be
despised BY all yirtuous citizens. In party
politics they are invariably found in pairs,
and always on opposite sides to each other.
What Is there any ''ring" in this Giti-
gems Reform Partys Is it, too, tainted
with The same malady it seeks to extir-
pate Let us see. We turn to the fourth
resolution of the series first mentioned,
which reads thus
'Fourth. That neither the State nor any
subordinate Council can nominate, endorse
or recommend for Federal, but only for local
office, and then only by Convention, or through
the State Council, as provided by articl9sev-
en- ofthe constitution"
All ha ! Here, then, is a yeritable
ring. This State Council is close cor
poratiou, privileged few, sort of iu,pe-
rum IN insperio, where only the inner court
patrician worshipers are allowed to enter,
and from which the plebeian masses are
excluded. This State Council, or Ring,
alone has the power to select candidates or
recommend persons for official station.
Why that is going whole bow-shot in
length beyond anything alleged against the
Democratic City or State Rings, and we
wonder that the members Of this "Citi-
zens Reform Party can look each other
in the face and keep their countenances
when denouncing rings, with this fourth
resolution convicting them Of completely
in ring rule. So, it would seem, that even
this Citizens Reform Party, organized to
uproot ring rule, is Itself, by its own show
ing, governed BY secret ring, composed
of few privileged men, who distrust the
masses Of the people, and propose to select
their candidates and their public officers
for them, if the good people will only be
so kind as to accept their loud professions
of ''reform" aud acquiesce in all that this
handful Of men known as State Council
may do. No, no, gentlemen, the people
of Maryland prefer to manage their public
affairs for themselves, and think they can
do itquite as well as a little eoterie Of
willy politicians in Baltimore, although
they may claim to be reformers par erceL-
fence