Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1881-01-01
PerpIexify of a Citizen be-
fore the Presidential
Election.
BY JUNIUs.

large and constantly increasing class
of voters who prefer to exercise their
own individual judgments, rather
than be bound by party ties. An
Independent is untrammeled. He
votes for whom he pleases. lie may
be Democrat, Republican or
Greenbacker, or he may be neither.
A party man, on the contrary, can
be but the one thing. lie knows,
and everybody who knows him,
knows how he will vote before the
candidates are put in the field. So
generally is this the fact, that if the
Presiding Genius of Gehenni were
nominated by either party for the
government Of our own world Ia
position to which he has long aspir-
ed he might reasonably count on the
full vote of the party. An Indepen-
dent hardly knows who he will vote
for until the day of the election. He
waits for light. He is conscientious.
He weighs both sides, considers all
the issues, hears full discussions,
scans cautiously the history Of every
candidate and then decides. / am
glad to know that the Independents
are growing, both in numbers and
responsibility. Numbers give res
pectability). At one time they were
called "trimmers," "turn-coats,"
"fence-riders," ect. They were sup
posed to be like the man who desired
to have fair weather at all times, and
who was equally ready to cry "Good
Lord" or ''Good Devil" as might
best suit the emergency. But they
have at length come to form an i'm
portant factor in politics, (holding,
indeed, the balance of power), and
ridicule has, in consequence, turned
to respect. For my own part, when
those very consistent gentlemen, the
party mem-so consistent that they
voted with their party right or
wrong-were in the habit of calling
Independents turncoats, | always
remembered the old adage, "Wise
men change their opinions, fools
never do,' and the recollection en-
abled me to smile in my sleeve. In
some respects it is a desirable thing
to belong to party. You have no
trouble in deciding for whom to vote.
You are like machine-bound to
move in one way. If you desire an
official position Of some Importance,
it is also advisable to join a party;
for Independents rarely get into
office. They only decide who shall
get in. AS an Independent, was a
good deal perplexed before the late
elections. In the desire to form an
honest judgment / attended nearly
all the political meetings, read the
newspapers extensively, and even
lent an ear to the private advocates
of the various candidates. First, |
heard the Greenbackers. Now
money has always been a desirable
thing to have, and the brilliant
promises held out by these gentle
men, Il believe they promised good
times for everybody enlisted my
sympathies, even when my judgment
failed to approve their arguments.
They said little of Weaver, their
candidate, but harped upon the
greenback continually and rightly
concluded that the candidate was a
| matter of little consequence if only
plenty of greenbacks could be had.
Fiat money was fully explained to
the confusion of every one who ever
dreamed he had ever known what it
was. Hard times were SO clearly at
tributed to the laundering legisla-
ton of the two great parties of the
| country that both Democrats and
Republicans were astounded at their
own ignorance. l have never liked
| to doubt the word of a fellow being
| under any circumstances, much less
can l find the heart to question the
| veracity of man who stands up be-
fore a congregation and gives facts
and figures in the most positive man.
ner; so that when the mouth
pieces of the greenback party pre-
| sented a great array of statements
| based upon minute calculations, |
was ready to accept the bewildering
facts and felt drawn toward their
cause. In other words, l was clearly
under conviction, as church goerS
say. But very soon along came the
Republican orators. They pointed
out the Greenback platform as a
quick sand. 1t was dangerous to
stand on it. They showed how skill
fully the Secretary of the Treasury
had managed the finances, and elo-
| quently plead for a continuation of
power. Next came the Democrats,
and with them Democracy was eve
rything, and neither the Republi-
can nor Greenbackers were worthy
of any credence. They declared most
emphatically that the people must
choose between anarchy and mon
archy-if the Republicans were con-
tinued in power. They must take
one or the other horn of the diem