Wichita eagle., 1888-04-08
AS OTHERS SEE THEM.
A Friendly Word Of Advice to Independ-
ents-A Glass in Which They Can See
Their Own Folly.

n FrleBdty WORD OF AuvIco 10 lndepenO-
ents-A Glass in Which They Can Sec
Their Own Folly.
There is a small fraction of voters who
delight to call themselves independent, and
who really think themselves more consci-
entious or more intelligent than the rest OF
their fellow citizens. They wonder that
they are regarded with contempt, espe al
ly by other men who have knowledge OF
public affairs, but console themselves with
the thought that a martyrs crown demands
martyrs endurance. II rankles little,
nevertheless, when they find themselves
profoundly despised by men of undenia5le
intelligence, and the sad-eyed independent
attributes the fact to the binding intensity
of party feeling. Then these same persons,
says the New York Tribune, as if to show
all the world why they are despised go out
before mankind and say that There is no
difference between parties, but they up
hold Mr.. Cleveland because he has honestly
tried to do his duty. and has given the coun-
try cleGn Administration"
Try, Messrs. Independents, for once to see
yourselves as others see you. Ask what
would be thought OF a Republican President
who had made his Administration tool in
the hands of ring of his partisans who
company: a President who had retained an
Attorney General whose published opinion
that the Bell patents were void had been
widely advertised as a means of selling the
stock of the ring, and who had profited by
sharing the proceeds; who had permitted
that Attorney General to hold a large
amount of stock given to him as a bride to
secure the use of his name and influence who
had hp punSfiop what no tho Gov
eminent should assume the expense of suits
on behalf of this political ring, aid should
attack the validity of its own patents, not to
a disInterested party, but to Secretary of
the Interior who was the close personal and
political friend of the conspirators; who had
confirmed the finding of the Secretary, and
rewarded him for the compaisance in white
washing by making him Justice of the SUI
enc Court, where he might have chance
10 pass upon the validity of the disputed
patents; who had tolerated an expenditure
of hundred thousand dollars, more or less,
Of the peoples money in suits for the ben
eft of this ring of plunderers; who had
seen his Attorney General condemned as
incompetent by the adverse decision of
United States Judge in Ohio, and again by
an adverse decision in Massachusetts, and
finally by a decision of the Supreme Court;
and who nevertheless kept the bride stained
and incompetent Attorney General in his
Cabinet, because he did not dare to break
with the political ring of plunderers behind
that officer.
What would be thought Of Republican
President of whom sIch things were true!
Would any Democrat or Independent say
that this President was honestly trying to
do his best" and that he chad given the
country clean Administration If any
body did make such statement, would he
not be despised by every intelligent fellow
citizens
The so-called independents who pretend
that they can find no difference between
parties advertise their own ignorance. 1t
may be the ignorance of partisan blindness
or prejudice; that is for them to say. But
the difference between parties has been
visible to all men ever since Mr.. Cleveland
came into office. Republican voters would
never have tolerated such discreditable APP
pointmcnts as he has made, or such scan
dial as the Garland-telephone case. Repub-
hcan voters would have deem ed it All insult
to them to propose the denomination of such
aPr9sident, and would long ago have made
that denomination utterly impossible.