Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1894-06-01
for Honest Polisical Methods
To the Editor Of the RRcoRD:

"A Pies fer Honest Political Methods
To tho Editor OF the RHcoRD:
II political leaders would use argume ent
and educational methods to reach the
Judgment Of the voter, instead of appeal.
ing to his vanity. prejudice or conceit, or,
worse still, through elaborate and we'll
managed machinery instill weakness in
stead of strength; blindness, instead of
light, and, through mystifcation and
sophistry, lead him away from the
truth, instead of intoit, it would be more
3creditable to our boasted civilization.
Political dishonesty is the crowning sin
Of the century. Why should such impos.
ture be less condemnatory than business
or social imposition2 A man who will
betray his party will betray his client, his
friend, his mother, because he is so con,
stltuted A demagugue who will through
false pretense hoodwink, and blind, and
mislead. for the sake of personal advan-
tage, will also rob, and cheat, and swim.
die behind the counter, in the shop, or in
the parlor.
He is so constituted and does not try to
help it. The men under our system of
government who are chosen to admins
ter the affairs of state must of necessity
be business men. That is the character
of their work.
A man who will misrepresent the situa.
ton, deceive the voter as 70 his position,
or mislead the voter as to facts, simply to
"get there" will be no less dishonest and
dishonorable after he gets there, and
while he administers the duties of his
Office. :
Deception at one point means decep.
tion all the way through. The same is
true of everything question able in poll.
tics; it does not stop there, but betrays
constitutional infrmity that bodies no
COED for the public welfare.
1t is not reasonable to suppose that
there are not several defensible sides to
many mooted questions, and susceptible
to as many lines of argument. . Great
public questions are generally settled at
last by experiment, and not infreQuently
with terrible experience, g,,s.
a party has no right to mystify its real
intention, or to make pledge to catch
votes it dses not expect to keep, for the
general veal But few of the millions of
voters expect to ever be directly; or indi.
rectly benefited by public Office. What
they want is not Office, but favorable con.
ditions to acquire property and secure
the good things of life. They don't care
through what party supremacy 1t comes,
so it exists. The party that fraudulently
and maliciously leads them through spec-
ious advice to discord conditions that
were, for those that are worse and more
hopeless, even If the party was honestly
mistaken, will make Of every voter 30
bamboozled its future enemy. 1t will be
hurled from power with the next contact
the party has with the people.
A demagogue In politics is no more to
be. trusted than a swindler In your bust.
ness. False promises false doctrines and
misrepresentation may win q political
victory, but in every instance II will prove
la Waterloo. 1t IL not often that the
American people will let their passion
get the better Of their judgmegt.3 The
tariff, the silver. and other Questions that
! are vital, must be settled st last IN the