Litchfield enquirer., 1880-07-15
The Salisbury Plants Morality.

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 and of the Seventeenth Senatorial District
 which we presented in that sketch. Those tables show how MT. William H. Barnum be- came the great man he now is in the political world. The personal influence of the man, radiating from Salisbury, diminishing with distance, influenced in greater or less degree I all the towns of this and Fairfield counties. Messrs Miles and Peet have demonstrated, l however, that the Plan works nearly as well in any other hands, as in those of it's inventor. There is but one prime necessity for it's sue ess-meney.
 While we look upon political corruption as inexcusable under any circumstances short of such misgovernment as would authorize rev. olution, it might claim less severe censure in the case of the Republicans of Western Litch- field county than in almost any other case. Those who have ever glanced at the colored maps of the census of 1870, showing tbe loca- tion of our foreign immigrants, will have ob- served the belt of Irish settlement which runs over this part of Connecticut. It is not as heavily shaded, indeed, as in Fairfield, New Haven and Hartford counties, but it has had marked political influence, especially in the western towns of our county. The faithful adherence of the mass of Irishmen to the name of Democracy has given that party majori- ty in nearly every town in the western half of this county. The Republican party of that section, comprising the greater part of the men of wealth and intelligence, have been as completely cut off from all participation in state and local government as though they had been formally disfranchised. Until the recent statute was passed giving minorities representation on town boards, no Repnbli- can of that section could become, except by accident, senator, representative, magistrate, selectman, grand juror, petit juror, or even constable. So thoroughly over-weighted was the suffrage by the Irish vote. that4he feeling of our Republicans is almost oneof desperation. similar in kind if not in degree, to that of the South Carolina white just after Reconstruc ton.
 The true way to remove this injustice is the adoption of the principle of mi nority representation for senators and repre- sentatives as we'll as for town boards. So in- ert however, is the public mind under abuses of long standing, that there is probably no place in Connecticut where the old rotten borough" system of representation in the low CT House of the legislature finds as strong SUD- port as III Litc'lfeld county.
 When, te the sense of injustice from long exclusion from every position of trust was added just indignation at the unb lusl- ing corruption of the Barnum reginas. we can- not be surprised that the Republicans of this section have been disposed to flight the devil with fire" Hence it happened that when they saw the Salisbury Plan actually captured by their candidate, and used in their interest, two years since. there was general feeling of acquiescence, if not of exultation among them. They had suffered so much and SO long that they would have been something moro than human had they turned back from the revenge which they were at last offered.
 Sweet though revenge may be, however, there is no moral health in it but simply transfer of sin from one side to the other. We cannot be surprised, however, that the men who sheer at Hayes and his attemtps at re. form, have even less patience with the ''Sun- day School politics" which protests against Republican adoption of the Salisbury Plan At last, say they, MT. Bsrnum has taught us how to beat him. His plan has opened up ten per cent of the Democratic vote in this county-at least in the western part of it. to purchase The candidate we want is the candidate who can afford to buy it. It was this sort of political morality which nominated MT. Miles in 1878, and which will renominate him in 1880.
 Nor is the other party one whit better, but worse, inasmuch as they sin needlessly We feel quite certain, that, on the unbiased vote of this Congressional District, the Demo- crats would have clear majority. They have only to stick to honest principle, therefore, to win Have they any such intention Ob- viously not. On the contrary they ask for candidate who will flood the District with Democratic money-and, unless we are greatly mist aiken, they have found him in the present Senator of the most corrupt Senatorial District in the State.
 What then is the honest voter. living in this Fourth Congressional District, to do in the coming campaign? Is he to accept the Sails bury Plan from Republicans, or to go further and fare worse in accepting precisely the same method of political action from the men who invented it 4? We know what most honest men will do. They will vote thelr party ticket, grumbling at the choice of evils offer ed them, yet succunlbing to the influences they detest. We believe that the duty of the honest voter is this: to satisfy himself in the first place, which party is using the Salisbury Elan or any other form of organized corrup- tion; if he sees but one party doing ito vote for the candidate of the other party; if he sees both parties doing it, to vote for the can dldate of neither. ...
 We speak of this matter now. because, with in few weeks, the people of this county must act upon it. The State conventions of both parties are to be held. next month The caucuses which elect delegates to those con- ventions will also elect delegates to congress sional and senatorial conventions. The ma chines' of both parties. the workers" of both parties, and the voters of both parties who are indifferent to the means used so long as they win,-will urge the nomination of can- didates committed to the Salisbury Plan Is therc no honest majority of both parties who
 will rise up against the men who favor corrup- tien, and outvete them in caucuses-in conven- tions?
 We cannot but be especially surprised at l the short sightedness of every honest Demo- crat who accedes to the Salisbury Plan. Their party has a natural majority in the District. Republicans who adopt that, or any other vicious political expedient, lose nothing