The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-05-13
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Another thing must be looked after
IN the primaries. A custom prevails
among candidates and those who repre-
sent them Of drumming up force TO
carry measures alone in the direction
of individual interest, and this system
has been carried on until conventions
have been seriously damaged in the
public estimation. The people feel all
right on questions of public import
snce, but they are inactive while de-
signing ones and the tricksters are hard
at work, building up interest alone for
themselves, oftener than otherwise d.
Tectly in antagonism 10 the best public
ends. Primaries are called, and at
once the chronic office-seeker or his
henchmen become as active as bees in
honey-making time. They are usually
the possessors of more leisure moments
than anybody else, for they have lesrn-
ed as general thing to do no work
and TO live upon the exertlons of other
people, whom they habitually rob
by one or another mesns. These
take the streets in the day time, and at
night they push themselves through
the alleys and into the slum society OF
towns and cities, and this or that voter
who can be depended upon for the
work engaged in, is engaged for the
primaries. Time rolls on and the day
arrives when community should make
its political opinions known, and while
the office-seekers and their strikers
are on hand the working people are
too busy to attend, and the COM
munity 10 outraged for two reasons,
ss may be seen-the one, because per-
sonal interest and trickery has been
vigilsnt, and the other, because good
men have failed to do their duty. The
STATEsMAN's object in calling attention
to these things is that the people may
be aroused, and be on the lookout
for these men who do the drumming
for political conventions. Watch for
the men who engage in such
work, and dot them down as either
themselves cormorsnts, who would
prey upon the public or those who ex-
pect to run machines In partnership
with them. When the political drum
mer comes around wanting men to
attend the primaries in the interest of
any one man, ninety-nIne times out
a hundred 1t were prudence to attend
the primary and vote on all questions
in opposition to the drummer. He is
a dangerous man, and is known IN
every community. He is most often
the chronic Office seeker, who ex-
poets preferment at the hands
of the people after he has imposed
himself upon them through the agency
of a stocked convention. Thus the
Democratic party has been weakened
here in Travis county, and in the city
of Austin, and thus it has been I'M
Germined in all quarters. Those who
have repudisted the acts of conven-
tons so manipulated are none the less
good Democrats. They are those who
have been in favorpf principle and not
of men. They have theory which they
would see carried out by those en-
trusted with office, and knowing the
office-seeker and the professional poll
ticisn care nothing for public veal, so
long as personal desire may be graft
fed, they have refused in many in
stances to support them. And now
the appeal is made to these people
who have the welfare of the county
and state at stake, that they hereafter
take the place of the political drum
mers and wire. pullers in the primaries,
and they will then see the nominees
such men as they may readily sup
port, and who, when in office, will. re-
feet credit upon the people they repre-
sent. Conventions, in the abstract,
should not be condemned, but they
should be sustained by the masses,
who can be protected alone through
them, and when this is done some of
these tricky fellows who engage to de-
feat public opinion will be called upon
to do an honest days work.