Frostburg mining journal., 1882-11-18
CORRESPONDEN C I
POLITICAL REFLECTIONS.
Conclusions Diu'Cn from Receni
Results.

The political storm, NEST remark
able one, IL over, and we may now
leisurely review its results and NOR.
alize thereon.
Politics in the Sixth Maryland dis
trict seems to be sort Of enigma
We find McComas elected by rous-
ing majority, while his vote is only Z
more than when he ran against Walsh
six years ago; ID 6lS less than Schley,
weak democratic candidate, received
two years ago, and ia l,4i7 less than
the vote given the present member,
Hon. Milton G. Urner. 1t shows,
among other things that must be ac-
oepted as facts, that statesmen of a
past generation are not in demand ;
also, that the general political apathy
which prevails among tho people of
Maryland exists in greater degree in
the democratic than in the republican
ranks. The three most prominent
leaders, Hamilton, German and
Whyte, have each received in their
respective bailiwicks a mcst positive
defeat.
As anticipated in my last letter
preceding the election, the democratic
losses were confined to their own
States, and the republicans lost en-.
tirely in those States wherein they
have long held almost absolute con
troll. The meaning is aelfevident--
that when any party holds power fol
any considerable length of lime, poll
ticians instead of statesm n obtair
control, and no matter Under whs
party standard they may march, o.
what political faith they may affect
their methods are identical, subver
sivs of good government and obnox
ious to the public welfare. Party
feslty is most CONNIE dable virtue
but when it dsgenerates into blln,
sutservience to larty lea ,ers an,
places party above country, and par
tisan advantages above he publ
good, it is an u2mitisated evil, al,
becomes the fruitful source of bcssism
NAL administration, corruption, an,
all these kindred ills that politica
"hesh is heir to" A false not on @
party loyalty is the only apolog,
which the honest masses Of the coun
try can offer to excuse them for hav
ing so long urheld the dynasties {,
Cameron in Pennsy lvania, Ccnklip
in New York, Blaine in Maine, an,
the woulG-te political autocrats il
Maryland and other States.
There was time when my faith il
the people Of these United States Wa
shaken TO its innermost depths
was when they had emerged from
murderous civil war and seemed t,
have surrendered all their llbertle
into the hands of the corruptionis,s o
the Grant period. As I go along
wantit understood that the republican
party is moi TO be shouldered with al
the responsibility for that disgracefu
epoch, the notorious Tweed being
prominent figure in the history O
those times. But the ,ebuke admin
istered to the administration of oul
modern Caesar by the political revo
luton in 1874, which gave US dem
ocratic House the election of Tllde1
in lS76--a fact which few republican,
now deny the defeat of the third.
term project at Chicago in 1880, and
this new move of the peof le against
bosslsm and nal. al.adminIstratlone every
where, he's r>Tived my waning faith
and it now burns with strong and
steady glow. No party can sag they
own as by hereditary right this OF
that State or district. Roteson was
defeated 10 a district where his party
had 5000 msjority; Miles Ross, on
the other hand, vas defeated here hs
had almost as large majority, and
young Harris, in the same State,
whose ma 2rity last election WAS near
ly 5000, suffered au overw helmlng
defeat. Gsddes, in Ohio, wiped out a
republican majority Ct ..early 5000 in
his district and carried it BY over
1000. Michigan, solid republican
State, elected democratic governor,
and majority Of the co; gressloual
delegation are of the safe arLy, al
though 1t has not had single demo-
cratic lepr sentative from TIE S ate
for number of years.
No party hereafter can afford TO put
up any tut their best men aud The
doctrine Of the Survival of tho fttest"