Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-05-17
POLITICS IN CITY AFFAIRS.

FRIDAY MORNING. MAY II. 1878.
POLITICS IN CITY AFFAIRS.
The argument against what is called pol
itics in city affairs has two sources, inter-
est and folly. The first is, as the real estate
advertisers put it, ''a never failing spring
on the premises and it is from this
source that the supply chiefly comes. Fol
". shallow-headed, brass-cheeked, folly
furnishes a good deal of noise to the
streams as it purls along through election
fields, but the current that is expected to
tnrn the mill wheel comes from interest.
Politics admissible in our election for the
legislature, for Governor, for Congress, for
President, but not for the city government!
Let us look into this thing! A nation is
a community Of people, a State IS COM
munity Of people and city is third COM
munity. All three have their affairs
conducted by legislation congress
does it for one, the legislature for announcer
and the council for the last. All this leg
islationi has purposes which are in &C
cord with the policy of the people dicta-
ting it, and that policy is born OF their
wants and interests, and this is politics.
The interest of every citizen Of a commu-
nifty is the politics Of that community.
The very word itself is from the Greek
word meaning citizen. It is there. in the
rights and interests that inhere in and
surround citizen, that politics has its
birth. With city, though the smallest
of the three named, the success of its pol
itics is as vital as the greatest. If Staun-
ton could be greatly benefited by public
Improvement, and subscription to it were
in the power of the council it would be
against her policy to elect any member to
that council opposed to it. just as, on the
contrary, it would be against her policy to
elect man to it who would vote the mon
ey when it would be Of no benefit to her.
1t is to the interest of Staunton and to
her credit that this State should state be-
fore the world with her credit unimpalred
and so a large majority OF her people
vote for delegates to the legislature who
think that way. IT is to the interest OF
Staunton, that the extravaganza and cor
ruption, and oppression practiced by the
Republican party Of the country should
cease. and 80 large majority of her peo-
ple voted for TnDEK. All these votes
are cast in the interest of policy. The
city has yet another policy; itdoesn't think
it to its interest that party which it abb
bors-a party which according to the state
ment of Col. JOHN r. POPHAM, chairman
of it's State Central COMMITTEES, made in
published letter, is composed In VIZ
oinia of 100, 600 negroes and from 5000 to
1900 whites, and the whites chiefly
composed of the Office holders who. man.
age to fix up the primary meetings OF the
negroes to suit themselves doesn't
think it good policy that such party-a
party that bears the relation to the Repub-
lican party of the North that a spatter
board does to a coach of state, useful but
dirty party embracing the mass OF the
ignorance of the State, should have hand
directly or indirectly, as an open opponent
or as lurking make-weight, In the selec-
tion of competent men to serve an intell-
gent city. The Conservative party has
saved it from these people and it must be
preserved intact.
Well, if the interest and desires OF each
community, however large or small. con-
stitute its politics, it is important that the
majority, who think alike, should be or
ganized to carry out their views. We all
know that nothing can he accomplished
without organization. and we also know
how useless an organization is, if it is not
put into operation. It rusts and rots
away, and falls to pieces. Staunton has
had too recent an example of this to need
it's memory to be revlved-when the Repub-
licans, thinking they had gotten a good
foothold, went in with a run and voted
solidlv for one of their own men for the
highest office in the gift of the city. We
all know that vigilance is the price of su-
premacy. We are called on to exercise it,
with reference to the city, only once IN two
years-a little more than dozen times in
the average life Of a man. Let us remem-
Der this and give five minutes to the phi
mary to day. We urge this simply with
the interest that any other citizen has.
We are no organ of the Conservative party,
but believe in its past and future value
most devoutly. Wehold none OF its offices,
and have none of it's official advertising land
have no interest in it's success other than
that of every private citizen who wishes to
keep the prosperity and peace of our city
in the hands of its best people.