The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-07-01
WEEKLY STATESMAN.
"UNpER WHICH Flag -
AUSTIN TEXAS.

"UNDER WHICH Flag
Two political parties are similar in man!
instances to two opposing armies. lac
tics, manoeuvres, ambuscades and othel
military terms will apply as well to poll
tical campaign. There can also be trait
ors in camp, who, if not corporeally pun
ishable, should be held morally responsible
for any defeat arising from reasonable
acts and should have punishment accor
dinghy meted out to them by the party
they betray These are undoubted facts
notwithstanding that there are few who
view the matter in this light; first, because
many do not care, or, second, because they
do not have the question presented in all
its bearings.
In the face of these facts, then, those
persons who take it upon themselves
to announce that or Y is going to run
for some Office on so-called independent
ticket, contrary to the will of the people,
by their representatives in convention ex-
pressed, certainly do so with
out the authority of X or Y,
and if the authority of the latter has been
implied, it must have been misunder-
standing.
The case is this A democrat, If he acts
with his party, makes himself amenable
TO the rules of that party, and has duties
imposed upon him which he must not
shirk. 1t is necessary to party success
that he should endeavor to promote that
success. II it is rule of the democratic
party to appeal to what is termed the
primaries, to settle matters in the party,
it is absolutely necessary that the result
of the primaries should be indorsed even
if it results in practical hardship. Be-
cause, if one does not intend to abide by
the decision of the party, why does he go
through the farce of appealing to that
tribunal? When he forsakes his party
because of disappointment and sulks like
Achilles in his tent, or, like the traitor
Arnold, joins the forces of the enemy,
then he must consider that
he has made himself political
reputation which he will never
cease to regret if he desires in the future
to align himself again with the abandoned
party, and especially if he goes to it ask
ing favors. Considering the quest ion,
then, in this phase, is it incorrect to say
that those who intimate that there are
democrats in Austin who intend running
independent, certainly misunderstood he
intention of those of whom they would
make traitors.
Suppose there was private, or even an
officer in an army, who deemed the policy
of the commanding officer suicidal or
wrong in any sense, that disaffected indi-
vidual should not take it upon himself to
resent that policy, become n traitor and
abandon his country's cause. So it is
here; the democratic party elects its off,
GERS and adopts its policy, and because
one individual deemed that policy
wrong or those officers unworthy, is
that an excuse for his treasonY
He can rest easy in his own mind if he
thinks the policy wrong, as he is not re-
sponsible, but only does what is ordered
This is mild light in which to view this
matter and those who have circulated re-
ports to the effect that good democrats
intend running independent do an injury
10 the one whose name they use because
ne certainly understands what such an act
implies