Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-05-22
Misnarned.

What is there In the way OF reform tha'
can he reached by electing the mixed ticket
that cannot be reached by eiecting tDc
regular Democratic ticket nominate at the
primary Nothing that we can see' Inc
more closely we examine the situa-
tion The stronger becomes the evil
deuce that any Democrat whe may
be disposed to endorse the new move
ment Is .woefully misguided. Whatever
those may think who for .he nonce may
have been carried away by the complaints
of Democratic sorehcads and the specious
arguments Of Republicans, the new ticker
Is neither a "reforn" nor working
mems" ticket. To attach either term to 1t
IL 10 use a misnomer. The more closely
we scru,inize the borrowed robe in which 1t
is sought TO envelope the new ticket the
mole prominently appears the cloyen footoi
Republicanism. This being the case, isar-
gument necessary to show that the work.
ingmen have all TO lose and nothing to gain,
and The Republicans oil to gain and nothing
to lose. by the election Of the tckets Is not
the record OF the Republican party a de-
monstration Of that fact!
What would the election OF the mixed
ticket mean. No one will deny that 1t
would mean the infusion into the legislative
branch Of the city government OF large
Republican element That accomplished,
what would be the next step! Is there any
reason to believe that the Republican party
has grown so virtuous and unselGsh that
the foothold Il bad gained would not he
turned 10 party advantage! Is there any
reason TO believe that this entering wedge
would not be used II possible 10 split
the Democratic partyi Have the repeated
drubbings the Republicans have received
Mt the hands OF the Democrats OF Rich.
mond so purified them that they are ready
10 forgive and would not reach for all that
was in sight. Have they arrived at such
state Of disinterestedness that they would
not make an effort TO get hold Of all the
municipal offices. Would they shut their
ewes 10 the fact that there Is such thing as
a city treasury? In short. has political
millennium dawned? We think not.
Look at II from any standpoint we may,
the fight in Richmond to-day is, in all the
vital questions involved, as much
fight between the Democratic party
and the Republican party As il
the opposition TO the regular ticket
openly displayed the Republican flag. The
fact that some Democrats NAV not recOg.
nize this cannot wipe out, cannot even
disguise, the further fact that the Republ-
cans engaged in the movement look upon
1t as opening the way TO capture OF the
entire municipal machinery. That, and
that alone, Is at the bottom Of their
interest in "reform and sympathy with
the workingmen. They have never shown
any great affection for the wOrkingman
heretofore unless they wanted to use him.
and the man who thinks their present at
titude constitutes an exception TO that
rule has simply been duped. And
should the Republicans get possession
OF the city goyernment-should the
result to which the new movement logically
tends be reached-wbat then? Let our
workingmen, whom Il is sought to seduce
into supporting the mixed ticket, take that
question TO heart. None could be more in
teres,ed In all that IL implies than they are.