The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-10-06
The Real Issues.

state and municipal issues. National
politics have nothing to do with the
elections of this fall. Last year, when
voting for members of Congress. it
was proper to give to national politics
the chief consideration. 1t was proper
to inquire howa candidate stood upon
the tariff question, civil service re-
form, river and harbOr improve
ments, silver coinage, internal reve-
nue. reduction and similar subjects.
but in the elections now about to take
place none of these questions are in.
yolved. So far as the state campaign
is concerned, the questions are wheth.
er the useless state Offices shall be
abolished, the oyster navy and the
canal service taken out of politics. the
compulsory inspections of tobacco
abolished. The issues are, shall the
people rule, or shall the small ring
of bosses rule by the intervention of
sub bosses, Hobbies and useless offices,
created to give patronage to chiefs
and places to strikers who run the
fraudulent primaries and packed con-
yentions. These questions belong no
more to the issues between Demo-
Gratis and Republicans than they he
long to the issues between Christians
and MOrmons.
In the municipal campaign the
same questions arise. 1t matters no
more whether City Councilman is a
Democrat or Republican than it does
in the case of bank director or FORE
man in a factory. The city govern.
ment would be all the better if it
were entirely taken out of politics
and conducted upon pure business
principles. The school system ought
to be free from politics, as the FIRE SER
vice now is. 1t would be well if alb
the boards and commissions were
non~partisan. But while the Demo-
Gratis and the Republicans may both
place state and municipal tickets in
the FIELD, the voters should be deter
mined in casting their votes, not by
national politics, but by state politics
and municipal politics.
This is the merit of the reform Re-
publican state ticket and platform.
The ticket is headed by Republicans,
but the nominee for the most impor-
tant Office in the state except the goy-
ernorship-the conptroller-is a re-
form Democrat of the era of 1875. like
Mr.. S. Teackle Wallis and Mr.. Harry
Warfield. The platform is the plat
form of the reform DemOcrats-the
platform which the ring convention
de5piSed and rejected because it prom.
ised the Liberation of the people from
boss rule by the abolition 0fthe abuses
and extrayagances by which bossism
lives and grows.
1t is not, therefore, desirable that
Democrats and Republicans should
come together on national issues. Let
them keep national issues paramount
when they vote for President or men,
bers of Congress but in voting for
municipal offices and state offices let
every good citizen vote purely for the
interests Of the city and the state. 1t
has been demonstrated by repeated
failures that the reform which the
people want cannot be accomplished
by movement within the Democ-
racy. The bosses are very shrewd,
and know how to bend to the storm,
and capture reform in the moment Of
its victory. These reform movements
have never succeeded in accomplish.
ing anything but a change in the
| tigure-head: the sub bosses and lob.
byists always remain and continue to
rule. They are to day stronger than
ever, and the chief boss of all is now
at the head, because he is most useful
there, and does more completely the
work of the sub-bosses than any of
the other bosses whom he has de
throned.
The platform which the ring De-
mocracy has put up, and the states
that are nominated in state and cOuD'
ty elections, are designed to keepthe
ring in power, and render it less re-
sponsible to the people. Should these
states succeed, there will he greater
epic mic" for the bosses and the lobby
at Annapolis next winter than any
thai our state history has yet record
ed. 1t Is understood that wealthy
corporations have fayOrs to ask on u
large scale, and that ring corruption
i'll the state and municipal govern
ments Is just what these great cor
DOrate mOnOpolies desire. Never was
there greater need of upright men IN
| Office than now. The citizens Of this
I state and city now have their most
vital interestSt trembling In the bal
anre. The Republicans offer refOrm'
the Democrats the dangers Of ring
rule. If Reform Democrats vote the
Republican ticket they vote for the
prlncinples that they contended for
In their own convention. Ii they