The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-09-11
Parties vs.. The People.

In the election now approaching, THE
BULLETIN will pursue the same course
with reference to the candidates for county
Offices that It has pursued in former years:
1t will support the Independent candidates
as against the nominees of any political
party. The BULLETIN believes that can
didates for local offices should be selected
by the people without any regard whatever
to the political affiliations of such candl-
dates. In this belief it has not hesitated
in former years to support Republicans for
county and city offices, as against Demo
Gratis and Others. 1t believes that the best
and most competent men should he select
ed by the people, and tina. every effort of
political machine to gam a foot hold in the
county and dictate to the people whom
they shall have for servants, should be re-
garded as a menace to the common good,
and be promptly sat down upon.
The people of Alexander county know
from experience that this is the better pol
icy. They have had as good service in
their several county officers as any county
10 the state, and much better than the
great majority Of counties where party
machine reigns supreme and leads the peo-
pie as a wolf In sleeps pelt might lead
| Aock of tho fapiIy Rnvi1m
Experience shows every day in our
elections that, with party in con
ven,ion as assembled, the fitness and hon
esty of proposed candidate is secondary
consideration the chief aim is always par
ty harmony, party success; and the public
be ID. This may be proper enough
in national and state affairs, where great
reforms can be effected only by party act
ion; but in local affairs it Is vicious in the
extreme.
This vicious influence in conventions has
been nowhere and never more clearly shown
than it was in this county last Saturday,
by the county Republican convention. The
convention was thoroughly representative
of the party. All elements in the party
were represented in proportion to their
strength and the ticket nominated was also
an epitome of the party. The respectable
element predominated largely 10 the con-
vention, and it predominates largely in the
ticket; but the convention did not dare to
ignore the low down element of the party;
it was for the party first and for the people
next; it recognized the necessity of throw
ing sop to the vicious element of the par
ty, in order to secure the support Of this
element at the polls, and it did so by Sc
lecting the negro, Jno Gadney, as the par
ty candidate for coroner.
We have no doubt that the large majority
of the convention found it difficult to vote
for Gladney, and that they respect them
selves the less for having done so; but they
saw the necessity of catering to the hood
looms that infest the slums, in order to Sc
cure success as the polls, and loving the
party better than they did the people and
respecting the party more than they did
themselves, they overcame their disgust
and voted for Gladney. Gladney is notori-
Ously an untrustworthy fellow, has for
years been the keeper Of negro gambling
den and been several times guilty of grave
violations of the criminal code Of the state.
Had Gladuey his just dues he would be
where even a:Kepublican convention would
not have dared to follow him, and he
would not now be posing before the
people OF Alexander county as the nomi-
nee for public Office of the grand old
God and morality party, the party OF great
moral ideas, etc, etc.
The other nominees are gentlemen
against whom nothing can be said on the
score of honesty. They are all gentlemen
OF the highest integrity, SO FIR as We know
But they are the nominees of a party con
ventlon that placed Its own selfish interest!
above those Of the people; and while they
are all good men, they are not the mos
competent men we have among US for tn,
positions they are put up for, and these ar,
very serious objections.