Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-08-02
INDEPENDENTS REPLY.
THEY STILL DEMAND THAT
10Th TICKETS BE WITH.
DRAWN.
The Question Narrowed Down
TO That Point and Leaves
Some Hope for Peace YET.


To That Point and Leaves
Some Hope for Peace yet.
The State Committee, representing
he Independent Republicans of this
State, met in Philadelphia on last
Thursday. July 81 ult., and after dis
,ussion the following reply was made
to the comm unication of the Regulars
REPLY OF FOUR OF THE INDEPENDENT
V CANDIDATES.
, July %, 1882.
Hon. /. D. MCKEE, Chairman lnde-
pendent Republican State Commit
tee:
Referring to the communication now
before your committee from the Hon.
Thomas v. Cooper, of July IL, ad-
dressed to your chairman and the
nominees of the Independent Repuoli-
can ticket, we beg leave to state that
we Joined in a letter to General Beaver
and his associates, which is herewith
enclosed. In that communication we
did and could, of course, speak only for
ourselves. in the hope that our sugges-
ton, if it met the approval OF the OPP
posing candidates, would pave the
way to an honorable peace and conse-
ouent success. Without discussion we
declared that in our judgment their
as submitted would, if ac-
cepted, produce wider differences IN
stead OF harmony, and assuming neith-
er to accept nor reject them suggested
a precedent condition, which, we
thought, would lead to true unihca-
tion of the party, viz, the absolute re-
tirement of both tickets, which essen
tial preliminary agreed to we would
urge upon our constituents the selec-
tion of a new ticket by convention
composed of representative men, select
ed by the Republican voters them
selves and apportioned on the Republl-
can vote. This preliminary step lay
entirely in the power of the candidates
themselves, and seemed to US honora-
BILE, patriotic and urgent, as giving a
reasonable assurance of harmony likely
to result in such unity of our respective
constituents as would secure the sue
cess of the ticket 80 selected. To our
minds their propositions would most
fail to accomplish that result,
for the following among other reasons:
Their candidates did not resign, nor
did they place their designations in the
hands of their committee, but, on the
contrary, authorized their committee
to submit their candidacy and the can
didacy of each of them to popular
tests by primary election. new con-
vention, or otherwise.
SIMPLY A POLITICAL SCHEME.
Their candidacy was the thing sub
mitted and very carefully guarded by
the propositions of their committee :
First, by submitting the two tickets 70
a vote OF the primaries second, by
providing for the right of their ticket
to be SO submitted in whole or part !;
third, by Offering a choice Of the first
two methods as to candidates to be
selected by primaries or by convention.
The two papers completely supplement
each other, and, it will be observed,
are simple vsriations of the original
and distinctive propositions of Mr..
Cooper to submit the two tickets to
popular tests, which has at no time re-
ceived serious consideration from any
source. Whether seriously proposed
may be judged by the concurrent decla-
ration Of their leading candidate that it
was telling blow upon the enemy in
the interest of peace, by which "his
prospects" had been advanced. AS a
scheme to forward their candidacy
such effect would be the natural hope
from such purpose. But such prop
osition misconceives the central pur-
pose of our organization, which is not
a contest for personal ascendancy, but
for the overthrow of boss rule and the
uprooting of the spoils system.
The two tickets are now submitted
to the suffrages oftbe party under the
statutes regulating elections by the
people. That submission has already
produced degree of bitterness among
the adherents of the respective tickets
which will render complete unity a
difficult and dslIcate undertaking; and
it seemed unquestionably plain that
any proposition looking to the compe-
tition Of those tickets could only
result in deepening, widening and in
tensifying the divisions already ex-
listing. Independent action and opin-
ion have from the beginning gone be-
yond the acceptance or rejection OF
principles and methods to the selec,
ton of men whose lives and records
illustrate their devotion to both.
PRINCIPLES, NOT INDIVIDUALS.
That opinion has strengthened dur
ing the recent months, and the domi.
nant Independent Republican view un-
doubtedly is that principles and
methods are meaningless except as
the men who stand upon them embody
in themselves all that the meth
DDS and principles assert. We note
the strength and growth of such opin-
ions as cheering proof of the elevation
of practical politics." To enter into
contest with any as candidates who
publicly avow that "the civil service
needs no reform" would be q surren-
der of your faith.
Being deeply anxious, however, to
accomplish what we believe to be the
sincere desire OF large portion of the
party, its union with honor, on the
basis of Republican success, with
Republican freedom. we made in
candor and good faith our proposal for
a genuine and honorable agreement,
as stated to the candidates Of the op-
posing ticket. They have made no
response to ns and we are given to un-
derstand that they decline all cores
pondence with US upon the subject.
THE OFFER STILL OPEN.
Our letter to them we submit to you,
to state in no ambiguous