Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-09-26
Adurdstrt tn:ril,Qenre.
Not q Military Machine.

4 OEe0NAx nv 0ENAHS6O SkSI As 0Ss As~e>s
Not Military Machine.
Some good people seem to think that
political parties are like armies, each
voter being a soldier bound to fight for
his flag and liable to the punishment OF
the articles of war for desertion. There
is some similitude between voters and
soldiers, but yet greater difference. A
soldier is bound to obey the orders of
his superiors and is allowed to exercise
no independent. judgment of his own
the voter, on the contrary, is bound by
his conscience and his duty to exercise
an independent judgment and to surren-
der no more of it to the opinions of his
party associates than he finds that his
conscience will permit him to do.
Parties are necessary to give ef-
feet to individual judgment; they
require from each member certain dc.
gree of concession of his individual
opinions /; because otherwise there could
be no agreement and no union of voters
under one party flag in common pur-
pose. But that concession has its
limits the voter cannot permit him
self to he made altogether machine,
executing every device of his party,
no matter how offensive to his
ideas of right it may be. The manhood
of men will warrant no such conception
of partisan duty. 1t would not he well
for .,arties that il should do Sc. There
is Il very wholesome check placed upon
par. leaders by the knowledge that they
canmv, count upon being b!indly follow
ell, but must act intelligently and wise
ly to preserve their adherents from re-
belliOn.
The other day the New York Demo.
cratic convention readmitted to repre-
sentation the Democrats of Tammany
Hall, amid the cry from those who have
the military idea of a party that these
men were traitors. In the military sense
they had been. They had refused to
obey the direction of the regular author
ity of the party and had separated from
it in such numbers as to cause
its defeat. Presumably they had acted
conscientiously. But whether this he ad-
mitted or not they defended their position
with so much vigor rs to compel their
Democratic associates to recognize the
fact that they could not spare them, and
that had been a mistake to let them 60
away. There had not been enough o.
concession in the previous treatment of
the difficulty. The military idea had
already been carried too far; and the
rebels had to he received back. 1t was
successful rebellion and, therefore, no
treason. The lesson taught was that
concession by the majority to the
minority is needed to secure the harmony
and strength Of a party. 1t is lesson
that may he prolitably studied at this
time by the Democratic party in
portions of our own state /; in the
Pottsville judicial district, for in
stance, when Judge Pershing, a
Democrat who has been honored with the
nomination of his party for governor, land
who was elected by tito the judgeship, in
the discharge of whose duties his ability
has been conspi has not been re-
nominated by his party and for no suf.
icient reason. It would need to be a
very strong reason indeed that should in.
duce Democratic convention to refuse
to renominate a Democratic judge
nothing less than his unfitness for the
place would justify it. This cannot be
said of Judge Pershing, nor can anything
he truly alleged against his sound De-
mocracy. He declared, it is true,
that he would accept a nomination
for re. election outside the Democratic
party and he has been nominated by the
Republican party. But no exception
ought to he taken to this, which was a
very proper thing to do. 1t is done
yearly in Philadelphia, where good Re-
publican judges receive Democratic en-.
dorsement and good Democratic judges
look TO the respectable Republican ele.
ment for their reelection. If Judge
Pershing has been defeated for the Dem.
ocratic nomination by the selfish ambj.
tion of another Democrat to ascend to
his place, a wrong has been done him
and greater wrong to the party by a
majority of the delegates who refused to
hearken to the voice Of the minority,
asking the nomination of just judge :;
and no reasonable complaint can he made
if the minority refuse to yield what they
consider to he the wrongful dictation of
the majority, and leave the latter alone
to elect their candidate for judge, if they
can.
The, New York Sun intimates very
strongly that the editor of the Herald
has an attack of deliriuan tremens. That
journal published a lengthy article
charging the Sum with being in alliance
with Jay Gould to give him control of
the associated press. Gould, It seems,
controls three of the members of this or
ganizatiOn which furnishes the telegraph
news tOall the papers in the country.
He OWNS the World, Express and 1'i.
bune, leaving the Sun, Herald and Jour-