The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-05-20
THE COMING CONVENTION AND ITS NO,lI
MATING POWER.

Rule vi. Instructions shall be required upo
county nominations for wLlcn candidates are an
nounced in the newspapers except for coroner
surveyor and auditors, and delegates without sucl
Instructions shall not be permitted to vote and can
ddates shall receive convention votes In proportion
TO their vote in the respective districts.
This rule does not mean that n mar
cannot be a candidate for an office be-
cause his name has not been announced
i'll the newspapers any man can be
voted Tor in the convention for whom n
delegate is instructed. SO the citizens OF
Columbia county who may be OF
the opinion that no man who push
es himself upon the party, is fit and
proper person to occupy the office,
may at the delegate elections select and
instruct for any honest and competent
man for the Office they designate. AS q
| general rule, not one in five of the per-
sons who nominate themselves for pub
lie office is fit and competent. Their
fellow citizens, to whom they appeal So
teeling|y. don't want them, but they fol-
low the disgusted voter from plow-han-
le to plow-handle, until in sheer despair
OF peace at any other price he gives his
promise OF support. If the voter sought
the man upon whom he wished to be-
stow an office, how many of the persons
who have held public places in Colum-
bia county for the last twenty years would
have been selected?
Civil service reform" has become the
butt of the politicians, and '.Reform
within the party" is by-word and a re-
proach. Political bummers force them.
selves upon the party ticket and expect
to be carried through by party discipline;
and decent men are expected to support
them, and contribute their voices. their
votes and their purses.
The word politics has become svn-
onym for all that is disreputable--and n
politician shares the fate of that bad
distinction. Originally a politician was
a person able to form laws, rules recu-
lations Tor the government of CITY. state
or county-now he is person who can
circumvent the people, who can corrupt
the ballot, who can swill beer who can
engineer delegate election and by arts
OF low cunning secure q fat office for
which he has not one single qualification.
Well said Dean Swift. long ago-"Few
potiticianS,wi all their schemes, are half
so useful members of a commonwealth, as
an honest farmer; who,by skillfully drain
ing, fencing, manuring, and planting,
hath increased the intrinsic value of a
piece of land; and thereby done per-
petual service to his country"
Ii these annual political trayaps were
served by the farmers as the social tramps
are, put to the draining, fencing, manur-
ing and ploughing of their lands,a much
more wholesome state of public and DO
litical morals would be the result. Then
politician might again become a per-
son hit and competent TO make laws and
rules and regulations of government.
Then it might be worth while for the
citizen to become versed in the necessi-
ties of the public service, and able to
carry ont the views OF the ''honest far
mer in the government of the country.
Then ward bummers and delegate man
lpulators, and whisky ticket vendors
would go ont of business, and the light
of day could be allowed to shine upon
political doings.
And we give notice here and that
II there is not at once, "Reform within
the party, that there will be reform
from the outside of mere political man
ageement. 1t is the beginning of the
end.