Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1893-11-04
APPLY COMMON SENSE
To YOUR VOTE.


effort 30 determine how they should
vote at elections hut little trouble
would be found in the election of To-
cal tickets nv all parties which hold
majority Of votes in their territorial
divisions. All men are Democrats.
Republicans, Prohibitienists or some
thing else from principle. They he
lieve that the principles Of the party
are right, and they believe that the
government of the country should be
based upon the principles which they
hold. They are accordingly anxious
usually that their candidate for Presi-
dent or for Congress should he elected
because that being the place where
the principles are applied to govern
ment and the machine set in motion.
they are anxious to have their candi-
date elected i'm order that the machine
may 60 forward i'm the manner in
which they desire it to move. Thus
if man is Democrat because he
endorses the principles usually put
forth in Democratic platform, he is
anxious that his convictions shall pre-
vail and that the government shall be
administered in accordance with his
views. And vet some Of the men who
are thus anxious about national mat
tiers, and would regard it almost q
crime for a Democrat TO vote against
his candidate take the liberty them
selves To vote occasionally against a
local candidate nominated by the same
party. In doing this they hold that
national affairs, and the great underly-
ing principles of government should
not enter into local organizations and
local nominations. They apparently
lose sight Of the fact that the local
organization is absolutely necessary to
be maintained and held intact in
order that the national organization
may he rendered effective and valua-
BILE. AS tree derives its sustenance
and vitalizing forces from the small
roots which run in every direction
seeking support and food from the
rich soil, so the national party, the
great tree. so to speak. procucs its
strength from the local organization.
Without the local organization is kept
intact and firmly welded together the
national organization would at least
I've only fragmentary, weak and in.
efficient, and would necessarily meet
disaster at every recurring election
until il would finally totter and fall Ia
pieces. Organization is necessary, alb
solutcly necessary. for the accomplish.
ment Of any desired political end, and
the fountain Of this organization is
found in the states, the counties and
election districts. Each Of these SUBJ
divisions must lie well and carefully
organized in order that they may form
integral parts Of the greater and more
powerful national organization, which
after all is simply the aggregation Of
the smaller or local organizations
forming whole or national party.
Disrupt the local organization by
refusing to support it and its nominees
and to that extent You damage the
national organization, just as you
would injure the tree and check its
growth by cutting away one or more
Of its roots. So that the man who
takes the liberty Of splitting" his
local ticket. rs it is called, is guilty
of a stab at the very national party
which he thinks all men ought TO sup
port. Such conduct is utterly incon-
sistent. No man can claim that he
sincerely desires the success of the
national party 50 long as he digs away
at the roots and keeps clipping off lat
eral roots and thus sapping gradually
but surely the very life Of the tree
itself. A cut at local candidate is
not so much an injury TO the man cut
as to the party which nominates him
and tries to elect him. Every man
cut ON the local ticket is cut mt the
party, because the tendency Of such
conduct is ultimate disruption, demon
ilization and ruin. Parties would re-
fuse 10 nominate tickets for local
Offices except for the assurance felt
that all party men would appreciate
the absolute necessity for compact
organization and render the candidates
cordial support as integral parts of a
gigantic whole which makes n nation
al party aud renders it effective and
capable Of meeting and combating the
common antagonist. = Ccni,criHc Rec
ord.