Asheville daily citizen., 1894-04-24
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
4 Demurrer

EDITOR THE CITIZEN AS a pemOciI-,
| respectfully demur TO any attempt to
make the support OF the Martin municl-
pal ticket shibboleth of Democratic
loyalty. There are those who believe
that q party is only meaus to an eud
aud that when the eud can better be AT
tained without the party 5 help, it is the
duty OF the citizsn to disregard The party
tie. Where are those who believe that
the proposition stated is pertinent to
the present situation. suggest that in
the pending election no tie to tie Demo
cratic party exists.
That which gives "the reason to be, "
as the French say, and a normal vitality
to party in any given contest is the
issue involved, Consequently, wherever
the issue OF party is Irrelevant, there
that party is out OF place, The issue or
issues OF State aud national politics
which give the reason to be- to the
Democratic party-are one thing; those
of our municipal affairs are anoth'r.
The CitIens' party, demands, ot course,
good men and clean and economical
administration hch every political
party prctends to stand tor-but there
is in the pending municipal contest
a fundamental principle which con-
>tlt1teS the very Sist and Kernel
OF the matter III controversy,
which furnishes to the Citizens party
pre- emnently 1.-The reason to be, and
which ought to he accentuated as its
leading and vital issue. The principle
may be stated thus, In municipal eltl
tons voters should discard all outside
and irrelevant issues, and dividing, Wien
| necessary, only on issues slrlctlv OF
| municipal concern, should cast their bal
lots with the SINGLE view to he welfare
of the residents of the city as such. y
With this principle as a rule OF action
| the ends OF good municipal government
are reasonably sure of attainment and
secure in possession. Without it they
| are neither. II the citilens of Ashevile
| are wise, they need only clearly to apprt
| hcnd the Importance OF this principle
steadily to adhere to 1t. Its Importance
has been dcmonstrated-by tho beuetIt
OF its observance, by the injury resulting
| from its vioati0n--GTer and over again
| in the history OF other cities. Ii has
been very torcibly taught to Us, III the
same way, III our own experience.
National party interference in munl>i
pal affairs, being wrong IN principle, Is
| demoral'Zng to national and state pol
| tics and Injurious to the general well
| tare. Its sole motive, however disguised,
is increase OF power through Increment
| OF spolls. Its tends to supplement, II not
| to SuppIant, a acOumcndable patriotic n
| dor IN party action by at iguoble part
lau zeal, inspired by merccnary sell 1t
terest 1t tends to increase and give az
| tivltv to the meanest elements i'll a par
| ty S constituency and to rcpreSS aud Dc
crease its best elements THERE'S no mu-
nlcipal service or duty which the resi-.
dents OF any city cannot better perform
as citizens than as Democrats or Nepuh
iicans. The existence and efforts o. The
various MUNICIPAL reform leagues and
clubs III the Inted States are stand
ing testimony that party politics out OF
| place are a nuisance to be abatcd
1t strikes me that the support OF the
| citizens ticket instead OF being Il re-
proach to a Democrat or destroying his
| character as such, reflects the highest
credit upon his loyalty to his party as
| well us his loyalty to his city and his
country. Let us as Democrats, by rccog
| nzlng the truth that our party is ont OF
place in municipal affairs, avoid IN future
the huuilla ting necessity of fighting tor