The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-09
An Independent Platform.

An independently HIdJIOrm.
The gentlemen in Massachusetts who
have declared their independence of obliga-
tons to support party nominations merely
because they are party nominations, had a
meeting in Boston Saturday to consider
what they should do in view of the present
circumstances in that State. The party
conventions have been held, the candidates,
except the Democratic candidate for Lieu
tenant-Governor, are nominated, and the In
dependents thought it was time to declare
their purpose SO far as they are able to
agree. For it is of the essence of independ-
ence in politics that the individual Inde-
pendent is under no more obligation to act
In accordance with the judgment of the ma
Jority of the Independents than with the
majority of any other party.
These gentlemen, last Saturday, acting
upon the theory that the two parties had
this year been rather chary of declarations
OF principle, the contest being so largely one
of local and personal issues, which is true
enough, thought it good time to promul-
gate their political creed, and early in the
meeting platform was submitted, which,
AFTER some amendment, was adopted with
much unanimity. We print it in another
column. 1t is good platform. Barring
the parts which refer TO the candidates, it
is high-water- Republican platform
and nothing else. The Republican party in
Massachusetts has more than once in its
State Conventions affirmed, for substance,
every one of the principles it enunciates.
Why then are these men not acting with
the Republican party? We suppose that
the reason is because in its nominations for
Office the party has sometimes failed to
emphasize the sincerity of its resolution to
uphold and carry out the principles pro-
fessed. The Republican Congressional can
dida'es who were defeated in 1882 were men
who had sneered at some of these principles
and everybody knew they woul not earnest
ly help to establish them. The Independents
therefore cast their votes for other men, or
refrained from voting, and, as there was
good deal of that sort of thing in that year,
the party III over the county took the alarm
aud Congress made haste to do what other
wise it would not have done, and so the in
dependents accomplished their immediate
purpose. The Republican party has but to
live up to its avowed principles in good faith
to secure the constant support of nine
tenths of the independent vote Of the coun-
try But it is vote which is not easily de-
luded by the adoption of good platforms and
the nomination of men who hold the plat
forms In contempt.
The Independents who met in Boston
agreed further that their present duty, as
men seeking the public good, was not to
make an independent nomination but to
support the Republican candidate for Gov
ernor, he being a man of Integrity of char
acter and unquestioned ability This is
another illustration, one of many, that the
independent vote is a Republican vote when
the Republicans nominate their best men
and force the issue between administration
for the public good and administration for
party advantage. President Hayes golden
saying "He serves his party best who serves
his country best' is true in the sense that he
makes his party strongest in elections, as
well as other senses. 1t is point which
politicians may proftably remember that in
the elections of 1873 the Republican party
held its own better than in the elections of
1874 or the elections of 1882. 1t was owing
simply to the fact that the people believed
the party was serving public rather than
party ends.
The Massachusetts, Independents resolved
that 1t was their duty to withhold their sup
port from the Republican candidate for Lieu
tenant Governor This!action was taken on
the ground that they have not confidence in
Mr.. Ames as a representative of the political
principles and methods they wish to see es-
tablished. They suspect the reality of his
hostility to Butlerism and all that the word
implies. This action is OF the nature of pro-
test, for they did not pronounce in favor of
any other candidate. Who will be the Dem
ocratic candidate was not known then, nor
is it known yet, and they did not make sep
arate nomination. The probability is that
many of them will vote for the Democratic
candidate if he should be such man as
Charles Theodore Russell, while others will
not vote at all. The lesson of this demon
stration, aud in Massachusetts it is not an
Insignificant one, is, we repeat, that the in
dependent vote is Republican vote when
the Republican party seeks with honest pur-
pose the highest aims in politics and is not
used as machine to promote the ambition
of politicians whose character and motives
there is reason to suspect.