Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1883-07-20
H0iDLrS CINrA&S.

= yooI deal Of interest ia other states
This b,. been truc Of tie guhernatorla
e,nyasses in that state for some years
Lut the character Of the candidates, o
o. lenst.one Of them. increases the inter
ct manifested this ye1r.
There is not much to he said abou
Foraker. the Republican candidate 70
governor beyond the testimonials to hi
ability published at the inception Of hi
Osndidaoy. Judge Hoadly, the Dem
oeraAc candidate, is the central fgur
Of interest. He is evidently mai
of.'uncommon ability and high charac
ter" and throws himself into his caus
with something If the srdor of a convert
lie also has Or had reform notions o
q high order We do not remeIbe
the exact date Of his conversion TO De
mocracy. but he took part III the Liberia
Republican movement of 1872, not be
my able. however, to swallow Greeley
Unlike most Ofthe Lib;rsiE Of that per.
ind who seem 10 have believed the Dem
Cerslis party was good club with which
to punish Republicans for their sin,
hut not a fit instrument Of reform. b,
subsequently, went over to the Demo
cratic party and is now preaching til,
doctTiue ola new and living Democra-
cv," showing thai he is not after all
in sympathy with the PRINCIPLES Of the
party as heretofore laid down.
This new doctrine does not seem tC
please some Of the old leaIe-s Indeed
lIOadly was nominated III spite of their
opposition. Mr. does it, when he goes
intO details. altogether flease the rank
aud file; for some of the principles OF
this doctrine are that the "spoils' system
il all wrong aud that we must have civil
service refsrn, aud there are numbers
in the Dcmocrclic ranks in Ohio, as
elsewhere, who would like very much
10 be promoted to some of the offices
now held by Republicans a Demo
rEAtio paper in that State publishes a
letter written by Eoadly year ago in
which he denOunccs the spoils system
aud declares himself for civil service re-
farm; but it does so with sncering COM
ments, certainly not for the purpose of
gaining Votes for him, but of weaken
ing him with his own party. He is
hluntly told that what the Democratic
party wants is to turnout the Reputli-
cans aud distribute the spoils of office
among the Democratic boys, and that no
man who has any reform nonsense in
lis head is fit to be their leader.
Now il Judge IIoadly will stick to hi,
principles he may be able to lift til,
masses up to his elevated pro fessions
err the feeling expressed in some quart
ors against his reform nonsense may pas
away, or the support Of the better ele
Jneat of the party NAV bel p him to over
cone this feeling. But already ther,
seem to be signs of weakening. Til,
alarm of the masses at his earlier reform
declarations must have affected him
for he mas lately confined himself to
discussion of the liquor question; we fnC
no trace in his recent speeches of tina
reform programme which his new au,
living Democracy was to carry ont
1t may be however, that he mercl,
means to straddle the issues he himsel
raised. on the double action principle o
the platform which the state convention
put forth, and that after he is installe,
IN ofhee;u Installed he be, he will pro
coed to act upon aud carry out the prin
"ipies he loved in the earlier days of hi
conversion.
but if Judge Headly does not nov
insist on his principles for fear of losiny
the governorship, what guarantee can h
offer the better clement of his party tina
he will carry them out after he is elect
ed1 And if he be elected governor h
will doubtless be Il candidate for presi
dent, aud If the Democratic masses indi
cate, as they did before the last presi
dental election, that they want spolls
he will do nothing for reform while gov
ernor fer fear of losing the presidency
Asd 80, as has happened IN many snoth
Or sess, the ambition for office and III
APs Of Preferment will dispel all hi
aheories about the new and better er
il politics.
OF course it is very important 70
each party that it should carry OH
this fall on account of the prestige c
success which it will give in the presi
dental contest Of next year. if for n
other reason; but it would be encourag
ing to those who believe in the mora
progress of the race and who look fo
the, better era to find more leaders anon
men who would rather be right than in
eumbents of any office