Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1908-09-19
Independents" in Politics.

1 1HCIil 10 Class lllCllloClSOS do liz
| dependents who vaingloriously
boast in season and out OF season
that they vote for men and not
for parties. 1t is by many con-
sidered a highly meritorious &C
ton to vote a spit ticket.
Independence is a very deslr-
able quality in politics as we'll as
all other matters that pertain to
the welfare of men, but there is
a true independence and false
independence. Much that passes
for independence is only pique.
There is many a man who thinks
he is independent when he is only
sore.
This is government of polite
al parties. There always has
been, is now and always will be,
two great political parties :strug
Cling of domination in national,
state and municipal affairs, and
one or the other of these political
organizations will control, and
the principles as promulgated in
the platform, will form the foun-
dation of the legislation and
policies of the government The
question then, that the honest
disinterested voter will ask him
self, is: (which party, if given
control of the state and nation,
will enact that kind Of legislation
and follow the policies that will
rebound to the greatest good to
the greatest number of people !"
And when he has answered that
question to his own satisfaction,
if he is an honest man, he will
know how he is going to vote. If
he honestly believes that legisla-
ton and politics Of Republican,
ism will be the best for the nation
and state, he will vote for the
candidates Of the Republican
party. If on the other hand he
believes that the legislation and
policies of the Democratic party
will be better, he will vote the
Democratic ticket. No sane man
will expect Democratic officials to
enact Republican legislation, or
inaugurate Republican policies,
or vice versa. No one is SO OBJ
fuse that he does not know that
every Democratic official, no
matter what the office, strength
ems the Democratic party and en-
hances its chances of becoming
the ruling power in the nation
and state. At first glance this
would seem to preclude all indie
pendent voting, but such is not
the case. There are independent
party men and party independent
men. In other words, there are
independent Republicans and in
dependent Democrats, and there
are Republican independents and
Democratic independents. The
independent Republican or indie
pendent Democrat. as rule,
thinks che is a little god on tin
Wheels he conders himself
"better than his party that he
is infallible in his Judgment
and if his advice is not followed,
he won't play, He always wants
to write the platform and name
the candidates, and if any other
course is followed or if any candi-
date is in any way personally OBJ
jectiOnable to him, he bolts him.
He would make this government
a personal government, and his
party personal party.
A Republican independent or
a Democratic independent, is an
entirely different kind of citi- |
zen. He is willing at all times !
to subordinate his wishes to those
OF his party. He knows mere /
personality has no place in poll
tics, but he has independence !
enough, so that if his party places .
IN nomination a man that he ,
knows OF his own knowledge is
VIGOROUSLY dishonest. notorious
ly corrupt Or notoriouslv incon-
petent, he will not support him,
and he does this, not to injure his
party. but to strengthen it. Re
publican independents and Dem
ocratic independents are the salt
OF politics independent Republic
ans and independent Democrats. !!
are the .froth and foam of parties.
they look pretty, but there is no
substance to them.