Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-07-22
A Political Club Trying to Usurp
paNyer.

Ihe Democratic City Association Is
simply voluntary political assoo'ation'
differing but slightly, If at all, from
political club. It has thus far dooe more
harm than good 10 the Democratic party
IN the city of Wilmington, but discreet
Democrats have thought it eouid not in1ure
them much because it was practically
Ignored in the management OF the cry
campaign Its sole function seems to lave
been in the past to appoint men to orgat-
,ze the @ards, aud the ward organizations
thereupon appointed the members OF
the City Executive Committee, and the Sc,
in turn, chose their own chairman. The
City Association had no more power 10 |
actually appoint the committee than had |
the jefferson Club or the Excelsior Club
The first named of these clubs might as
well appoint the Chairman of the State
Committee and the other the chairman OF
the County Committee as the Democratic
City Association appoint the chairman OF
the City Executive committee Yet the
Association attempted to do this on satnr'
day evening.
We take 1t for granted that this attempt
of a voluntary political association TO
thrust one of its members into COM
mittee on which the people did not place
him, and even to make him chairman OF
the committee without the consent OF the
members, will be simply Ignored. Inc
committee will, doubtless, choose its own
chairman and go ON with the campaign,
and. this City Association can carry on
another of its own if it wants
to. The people OF the wards nave named
their committee and the people of the
wards will have to elect the candidates II
they are elected. The less the men the
people appointed to conduct this campaign
have to do with this Association the better
it will be for them and their party. New
York city has had some experience of the
sort of politics brought about in
city through handing over
the management of party affairs
to an association or society, and it will be
better for all other cities to take warning
by its experience and keep all the party
machinery in the hands OF the people. 1t
was mistake to give the City Association
even the slight power to appoint men to
organize the wards, since it thus leads to
graspiug usurpation and makes the party
responsible for the unwise action of its
least-reputable members. But that power
is all the City Association ever had, and it
cannot obtain any other till the people
give it to it.
Meanwhile in pursuance of that policy
of plain speaking which has characterized
the JOURNALS treatment of city affairs,
as of all other matters, we tell the rational
and reputable men in the Democratic
party that we believe if their party carries
this city in September it will do so by the
aid of votes which cannot be had unless
it is made plain, without any
cowardly hesitation, that the men who
voluntarily chose Martin Farrell as their
leader are not the managers and directors
of the Democratic party in this city. We
are aware of the fact that many of those
who took an open and active part in the
independent movement Of few years ago
have thrown aside all pretence OF
consistency and concluded to even
welcome a return of ring rule rather
than see the city longer in the
hands of Damocrafs h,t tbara ora q