The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-08-30
Partisanship VS.. Citizenship.

From the fact that there are al
ready eight parties or factions in the
field, who will present their claims
to the voter i'll the coming campaign,
the question very naturally arises.
Is it necessary to have so many par
ties in existence, or is there room in
the United States for more than the
two principal leading parties who
are dominant i'll the field to-day
We have often heard the remark that
opinion governs the world, and in a
country like ours it is to be expected
that there will and ought to be IA
great diversity of opinion /, but there
is plenty of scope to develop it and
advance new ideas, fresh impulses,
and broader views of craftsmanship
in either of the parties in power,
rather than endeavor to create fac
ton which is of but mushroom
growth. springs up in II few days,
and i'll rs short time dwindles and
vanishes from public notice. In
these frantic efforts to establish and
build up parties the voter has to IA
certain degree overlooked his citizen
ship while fruitlessly beating the air
in trying to attract attention as II
party, either one of those factions
combined within the limits of either
of the two leading parties would act
as II mighty lever to raise them to
some efforts to meet their demands.
What advanced idea of statesman
ship or progressive government has
ever been developed by any of these
side issues who chose to designate
themselves parties! ! None what
ever. They seem to have but one
incentive, one principle, one motive,
one idea, and that IA government like
ours can be made one-horse affair
out of, is too ridiculous in the ex-
treme it partakes too much of the
nature of quack medicine which is
warranted to cure every kind of all
ment that human flesh is heir to.
Where in the history of the world
can country be found that in little
over "A century has made such pro-
gress III National development and
prosperity like ours Weassert and
maintain that it is without parallel.
How has this been accomplished
and what means have been employed
to produce it Has narrow minded
bigotry, egotism and selfish party
interest brought it about We an
swer emphatically, NO but this
march of progress and reform has
been pushed on by men whose ideas
were as broad, open and expansive
as the canopy of heaven which
spreads its mantle over our CONT
nent.-men who could legislate for
the country and not for party,-men
who had ut heart the interest of
every man, woman and child within
our boundaries, aud not for factions
or classes of men.
These one-idea fanatics have yet
to learn that radical reform and the
supplanting of old and established
ideas by new and somewhat vague
opinions, can not be brought about
by one act of Legislative dictation.
1t is dangerous to attempt to go
from one extreme to another unless
you are prepared to meet stubborn
resistance, revolution and blood
shed. But it can be done by gradual
and liberal legislation, and prepar-
ing and educating the masses up to
the standard of acceptance.
There are then several questions
of Importance that confront the
patriotic and honest American citi-
zen of to-day Is my party of more
Importance than my country 1?
Should party interests be the domi-
nant idea, and the country require
ments be made subservient to them &?
Is it right to work for my country
demand my support and aid 2 Am I
an American or the blind devotee of
some faction of dissatisfied element
of party aspirants When he pom
ders over these questions and CON
siders what n narrow and limited
scope is offered to partisan, but
how broad and expansive is the
work of Il citizen, he will not hest
tate to come out boldly ON the side
of his country.