Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-04-27

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President.
Importance of Getting the Independent
Vote.
In our issue of last Wednesday we
stated that there was one argument in
favor of the nomination of Cleveland
which did not apply to other candi-
dates, and that was that he would get
more votes from that class of voters
known as Independents, who are not
closely bound by party ties and vote
for the candidate they prefer on other
grounds than mere party fealty, and
that it was the votes of that class that
held the balance of power in the doubt
full States and determined the result
Thursday-had an editorial on the i'm
portance of that vote, in the same line
of thought, looking to the propriety OF
nominating Cleveland. In speaking
of ''this intelligent, unpurchasable, in
dependent vote" SO necessary to Sc
cure, and of which Cleveland can get
more than any other candidate, it
says, ''it cannot be questioned that it
was this vote, drawn in part from the
ranks of the republicans-the mug
wumps," as they were called-as well
as that cast by the independents
proper, by men who professed to be
neither democrats nor republicans but
voted for the best man, that gave to
Mr.. Cleveland the electoral vote of
New York in 1884 and elected him
President. 1t was the same vote which
turned the scale in so many republican
States and districts in favor of the
democratic candidates in 1890, and
vania, Russell in Massachusetts, and
Boies in Iowa. 1t is this same vote
which is indispensably necessary for
the democratic candidates to secure in
1892 in order to win the presidency OF
to retain a majority in the House OF
Representatives. 1t is, therefore, vital
that the democratic candidate shall dc
more than simply unite the suffrages
Of his own party. He must be more
than the mere product and representa-
tive of democratic harmony. He must
be able to win votes, if not from the
enemy, at least from that great and
growing contingent which follows
blindly no party flag, but votes as il
pleases for the best man. No man car
be considered an available candidate
for the democratic nomination who is
not able to attract votes outside Of the
democratic organization. He must be
man known to the whole country
respect of the whole country far be
yond the circle of his own party asso
ciates. If any man possesses these
qualifications and answers to this de
scription in a higher degree than Mr.
Cleveland, then by all means let that
man lie nominated But let no demo
crat lhy the fiattering JUNCTION to his
soul that democratic voters alone will
suffice to elect the democratic candi-
date. They did not elect Seymour OF
Hancock. 1t is upon the non-partisan,
Independent vote that the result de-
ponds, and the candidate to win" will
be the man who, bigger and broader
even than his party, representing its
principles, which are its soul, rather
than the organization, which is but its
shell, can command the votes of the
American people, without respect to
party lines"
To the above we append the follow
ing which appeared editorially in the
Richmond State of Thursday, the s1st.,
headed "a Suggestive Pointer
''T. L. Alfriend, Esq, of this city, has
just returned from a business trip
through New England. He had fine
opportunity of ascertaining the drift of
public sentiment there and he utilized
this opportunity. Mr.. Alfriend dis
covered that a very large Independent
vote, which has grown steadily within
the past year, owing to dissatisfaction
with the Harrison administration, will
go to Cleveland, but not to any other
Democrat. The reason given for this
by these independents, who were
formerly Republicans, is that they
know Cleveland as a President, but
they do not know any other Democrat
in that capacity, and they are therefore
willing to vote for him, while they are
not willing to vote for any other Demo
GRAFT. In other words this condition is
due to an old prejudice in those sec
tions against the Democratic party,
which is abated when Cleveland is the
nominee, but re-awakened when any
other Democrat is nominated. This is
very suggestive. Some men may as
sumo to laugh at what they term mug
wumps," but this element is a potent
one in Northern politics now and
means great deal; and when candi-
dates personality is so strong as to at
tract it, his advocates have reason for
pride, since this personality is able to
cause men to put aside their affiliations
and predictions of years because of
their confidence in the nominee of a
party they have so long opposed"
A tornado struck Gladwater, Tex,
on the Texas Pacific Railway, We'd
nesday, damaging many buildings and
killing several persons. j. NJ. Munger's
house was lifted by the wind and
carried fifty yards while the family,
consisting of seven persons, was at
breakfast. All were hurt, but none SER
iously. Mrs. Munger held on to her
six-months-old baby.
The Democratic Convention of
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