Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-09-23
The issues of the County CampaIgp.

The Issues of the County Campaign.
No ordinary issues are presented to
the Democracy and the people of Chat
ham county in the present legislative
campaign. To the contrary, the ques-
tons to be decided at the polls on
Wednesday, October 4th, are of the grav-
est importance, and should be most care
fully reflected upon by all our citizens.
In the first place, should the boilers |
succeed in their rebellion against the |
Democracy, it will be a most serious |
blow to the Democratic party in this |
county. It is not possible that the
will of the party could be more plainly
manifested than was the case at the
mass meeting at the Theatre last Mon
day night. A ring had prepared ticket
which they openly and arrogantly an
nounced was to be the ticket which
should be nominated, This ticket, how
ever, was not satisfactory to the party,
and it determined to make its power felt
and refuse to submit to the dictatiOn of
self constituted bosses. In consequence,
such q general turnout of the entire party
has rarely ever been seen either in this or
in any other county of the State, and the
opposition to the programme which had
been already cut and dried to be forced
down the Threats of the voters was en-
phatic and overwhelming, The small
minority, seeing themselves finally hope
lessly defeated, instead of acquiescing in
the will of the majority as party fealty
required, determined to rebel and an
tagonize the entire Democracy. They
therefore bolted the meeting, and
it is worthy of special note that after
they had left the Theatre, so inconsidera-
be were their numbers that their absence
was scarcely distinguishable. Yet this
small minority, because they could not
control and dictate to the overwhelming
majority present, actually held another
meeting and inaugurated the rebellion
against the party which is now being
waged.
is evident, therefore, that should
this rebellion succeed the Democratic
party of Chatham county will be seri-
ously crippled, and will suffer loss of
prestige from which it can with difficult
ty recover. 1t will show that faction
which has heretofore claimed to be with
in the party is stronger than the party
itself, and that the Democratic Organizs-
ton of the county is nothing more nor
| less than mere machine, which can be
controlled and dictated to at will by
ring of malcontents who acknowledge
allegiance only to a boss. Can the
Democracy of Chatham afford this2
Most assuredly not. If they have not
the power to carry out their will as
effectually at the polls as they did at the
primaries, then they had better surren-
der Internationally to bOssism and
abaEdon all claim to being a party rep
resenting the intelligence and the well
fare of the community.
But something more than the mere
ascendancy of a political party is at
stake in this contest. We have said that
the ticket placed in the field by the mass
meeting at the Theatre Monday evening
was selected by the Intelligence Of the
county. This is most undeniably the
truth. At that meeting there were rep
resented all classes of our population.
Business men and property hold
ers met together with the
intelligent working classes Of the COM
munity, moved by one common i'm
pulse. They were, one aud all, unani-
nous in sentiment that the ticket pro-
posed by the bosses was not such a
ticket as Chatham-which pays more
money into the Treasury than any other
county in the State save One-shOuld
send to the State Legislature. For this
reason they turned out in unusual force,
determined to select q legislative ticket
which, while thoroughly representative,
would also be creditable to the county
This they did, and in 50 doing showed
that they were alive to the welfare Of the
community, and would not cOnsent to
Weld subsection 10 q few men, who,
for purely personal reasons, presumed to
absolutely dictate who should and who
should not have a voice in the important
legislation required for this city and
vicinity.
It is manifest, therefore, that the in
terests at stake in the present legislative
contest are grave and serious. In plain
words, this community cannot afford to
allow the boilers to win. Outside Of the
injury which such a result would work
to the Democratic party, it would place
the Intelligence and the property of the
county, to a certain extent, at the mercy
of those who are actuated by no solicit
tude for the public veal, but by purely
personal and selfish motives. This would
be most unfortunate, and it can be easily
| prevented if the masses will but show the
same zeal at the polls that they have
already shown at the primaries.
Our people owe it to themselves to
see that this bold defiance to their will
is signally rebuked. Only by Waterloo
defeat of the boilers can they maintain
their self-respect, make their power felt,
give to "bOssism" a check which will
make it exceedingly careful how it again
arrogantly opposes itself to the expressed
will of the community, and secure a
representation in the Legislature which
will reflect credit and dignity upon the
county and the State.
The New York DemOcrafs