The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-07-19
BUSINESS AND POLITICS.

Now that We are upon the eve of 4
general State election, we consider it a
favorable opportunity to urge upon Re
publican voters in Cecil county the ne
cessity OF a personal participation in patty
work and party organization. We are
aware that very large proportion of
Republicans in the county are business
men and farmers. whose time being cx-
clusively devoted to their business pur-
suits is valuable. and that there is upon
their part too general an indisposition to
sacrifice it by attendance upon, and par
ticipation in. the work of the primary
meetings in their respective districts. If
you will take the trouble to question any
or all of these Republicans as to the cause
of the general reluctance to participate
in party matters, they will. i'll nine eases
out OF ten, plead the diSrcputability of
politics generally, and their unwilling
ness to share i'll party squabbles over
nominations. So far as the latter are
concerned the Republican party for the
time being the minority party. they have
not so much concern. The fact is pat
ent. however. that our best class of vot-
ers too generally ignore the preliminary
meetings in every campaign, the result of
which is that too frequently the prima-
rieS have been managed by interested
men or those having Il purely selfish end
in view. Now we claim that it is not
only the province. but the obligation, of
every citizen to participate in the organi-
cation of his local government and to
make his influence felt in local politics.
If politics as a trade have become cor
rupt, the greater the reason that our most
respectable voters should be found ready
to correct the evil. In this connection
VIC commend the practical good sense of
the following noticed in one Of Our OK
changes:
The history Of the increase of local
debts until they are now like huge mort
gage plastered over our cities. towns and
villages, from one end of the country to
the other, suggests one thing. For years (
our energetic and clever business men !
have been snecring at politics. Nobody /.
cares for politics. they have been saying.
Except tie dirty fellows who make a
living out of otlccholding. As for our
selves, we don't care what kind of y local /
government we have. We can make
enough mony in a day, or at least in
week, to pay orr taxes, and as long as we
can do this we don't care what happens"
So by satisfying themselves that it costs
less on the average to attend to their
Zens, than it would to take sufficient time
from their business to make their person
al influence felt in the local government
under which they live, they have let
affairs run on as they would.
The result is debt, debt, debt; and now
they are waking up to the fact that tie
intelligence and morality ola community
can never afford, purely as a matter of
business, to leave public affairs exclusive
iy in the hands of incompetent men and
scoundrels. Even when by chance the
public money has been expended for works
Of utility-that is, has not been stolen
oatright-thc additional use of credit in
the construction of unproductive improve
mentS has been SO needless and extraya
CANT in many cases, as to place the pre-
sent Taxpayer, who has got to meet every
dollar of the obligations thus incurred
upon his credit, well-nigh as badly off for
the time being, as if the borrowed money
had been thrown into the sea. Is it not ,
about time for business men to conclude
hat the public affairs of their ncighbor- .
hood require little of the attention !
which hitherto they have bestowed en-
,irely upon their private afiaiyso