The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-01-18
OUR ELECTIONEERING SYSTEM.

The indications now are that there
will be from twenty to thirty Demo
cratic candidates in the field this year
asking for county offices. An active
and thorough canvass will undoubted-
ly be made by each one of these, and
it is right and proper that every man
should do all in his power, not exceed
ing the limits prescribed by law, to Sc
cure favorable action in his behalf by
the county convention. In order that
the candidate may know what these
limits are, he should famiiarize himself
with the rules of his party, and with
the several Acts of Assembly relating
to the subject, and govern himself
accordingly
The system of electioneering that
has grown up in this county, and else
where, is to be regretted. Any man
who asks for preferment is compelled
to spend weeks, and even months, in
travelling through the townships, going
from door to or,soliciting votes. This
is a great tax upon his time and purse,
and cannot be otherwise than humili-
ating, in many cases. While it is an
inconvenience to the candidate, it is
also an annoyance to many who are
subjected to these solicitations. The
farmer is stopped in the midst of his
work, the mechanic is obliged to lay
down his tools, the business man to
close his books, each to be told of the
special demands which the applicant
has upon the party And this is re-
peated twenty or thirty or more times
within the space of few weeks. The
practice is frequent topic of conver-
sation, and whenever it is discussed it
is condemned, and yet it has so en-
grated itself on our political system
that it seems almost impossible t.,
abandon it. No one would rejoice
more than candidates if it were abol-
Ished, but, the one thing that compels
its continuance is the unfortunate fact
that there is large number of voters
whose harvest is when candidates are
on the wing and whose votes are cast
generally for the man whose liberality
is most frequently exhibited at the
wayside inn They are not the mer
who pay the bulk OF the taxes, nor
men who lead public sentiment in their
respective localities, but they are the
leeches of society who measure the
claims and qualifications of the candi
date by his capacity for ''treating,
and who consider him the best fellow
who allows himself to be the most co
piously bled.
Another, and smaller, class look
upon voting as mere means OF con
terTing a favor upon another, and
therefore vote for those who ask then
to do 80, without regard TO qualitica
tions, ON the ground that if their vote
is not worth asking for, it is not worth
having. This, too, is wrong. The
right of suffrage is the safeguard oi
the people, and should be exercised
with caution, by voting for the beS
men, whether personally invited to dc
30 or not. We do not mean to say
that no candidate should solicit votes
but the fact that vote has not beer
solicited by any particular candidate
should not, of itself, be sufficient rea
son for refusing to vote for him. IL
other words, every voter should inform
himself of the qualifications of all can
didates and then vote for those he
considers the best, regardless of solici
tation.
There is but one way that this prac
tice can be stopped, and that is by an
agreement among candidates not tc
use the methods that have been EN-
ployed for years, and rigid adher
ence TO the agreement. If every one
would take his chances of election
without spending two or three months
in travelling over the county, all would
stand on an equal footing, just as they
do when all travel. This may seen
impractieable, but the only difficulty il
the way of carrying it out is the dan
ger that all would not adhere scrupu
lousy to their covenant
1t is not probable, nor hardly posi-
BILE, that such change in our system
of electioneering can be effected this
wear, but as no reform can be effected
without previous agitation aud discus
sion, we begin in time, with the hope
that in the near future something may
be accomplished in this direction Tor
the benefit of candidates and voters.