The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-04-05
THE DUTY OF DEMOCRATS.

IN convention CO-uay ioT tuc purpose vi mum
mating the gentlemen who are to fill the va
rious county offices for the next twenty
months. We cay fill the offices, for the rea-
son that we feel assured that a nomination at
the hands of the democratic convention is
equivalent to an election, if a full vote of the
party be secured next Monday. The most
prejudiced must concede that a ticket COM
posed of any OF the gentlemen whose names
are mentioned in connection with the sever
al Offices to which they aspire, would be all
invincible one. Nothing short OF dissenslon
in the ranks of the party could defeat it. Al
though our republican friends are building
their hopes upon such dissension, to elect one
or two of their candidates, we fail to see any
evidences upon which they can build them.
The delegates u the convention to-day were
elected by and come directly from the mass
of the democracy. Their election cannot he
traced, directly or indirectly, to the manipu-
lations of a s'boss'' or the wire workings of a
clique. Never in the history of a political con-
vention were delegates chosen to it by fairer
or more honorable means. As no organiza-
ten of the party existed in the new county
those having such organization in hand cou-
suited the people in its incipient to its final
stage and as a result the delegates come fresh
from the democracy untainted with the pois-
onous exhalations of back rooms presided over
by a "boss.' Therefore the ticket that the
convention will nominate to-day will be the
ticket Of the reople, in the interest of the
people, and, if they vote in the direct line of
their interests, will be triumphatly elected by
the people.
Now, one word in regard to the obligations
Of democrats to their party. We state only
what is known when we say that political
parties are the outgrowth of convictions ell
tertained in common by bodies Of men upon
certain questions which arise under our form
of government. These convictions are en-
phasized by votes given by the party holding
them and are projected into and determine
the policy of the government when that party
is in the majority. This is observable in
those marked or prominent features which
characterize the administration of the govern
ment by a political party. These features are
the voices of the people which their servants
in Office feel bound to obey. Thus it is
through political organizations the convic-
tons held by the humblest citizen upon ques-
tions affecting the vital interest of the whole
people may find full expression and exert
their legitimate force. 1t is true the people
of a territory have no voice in shaping
the policy of the general government
lint nc lpmnrratS we haya &C
much interest in preserving the morale and
keeping the organization of the party intact
in this territory, or in this county,, as have our
brethren in the states, who enjoy all the
privileges of the elective franchise. A man
who has been a democrat in New York, or
Virginia, or in Ohio, or Missouri, should be
as loyal to his party here as there. The same
considerations that prompted him to work
with his party there, should induce him to
support it here, for the time is near at hand
when the great polite Il parties will be called
upon to choose state officers and representa-
stives in the congress of the United States, and
if, when that time comes, the democratic
party be found demoraliZed by feuds and
scattered over the field, wedding free lances
an every little political contest, it will easily
be routed, and fall a ready prey to the enc
my through its superior organization. TIC
the democracy should keep in line and
strengthen its power by a thorough and close
organization.
There is another cogent reason why dem,
ocrats should clasp hands and present an Ill,
broken front to the enemy. The republican
party, made arrogant and Overhearing from
the exercise of long continued power, ant
containing elements that have corrupted i
from its center to its circumference, is now
trembling upon the brink of dissolution
Powerful factions within it are now engaged
in a deadly struggle for the mastery which
will eventually precipitate that once grea
party at the very feet of the democracy. Al
ready the low mutterings of discomfort which
u dispatches brought to our ears some day
ago have reached a point of angry discussion
that has forever separated the sstalwart'' ele
ment from the more numerous but mental:
weaker 'masculine' element OF the republi
can party. The fight between Garfield an
Blaine on one side and the unyielding COnk
ling on the other, has already disguised man
of the better portion of either faction. Thi
disgust is intensified by the shamelessly col
rupt purchase Of the renegade Malone by lin
s~crupulous republicans in the United State
senate, and thousands of the conscientiou
members of that party will desert it as rat
flee from a sinking ship.
With these facts staring democrats in tn
face, it would SAVIOR of treason to the part
for Them to yield to prejudice, or feelings
personal dislike and hesitate to give the ticl
ct about to be placed in the field their full