Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-03-11
THE PASSING OF HIDEBOUND
REGULARITY.

The spirit Of party loyalty clings
more loosely to the average voter to-
/ day than it has done at any time since
the war North and West the spirit Of
independence is more pronounced
than in this section where peculiar To-
cal conditions tend 10 restrict the ex-
pansion Of such a sentiment. But
/ even in the South this spirit finds ade-
quate expression in the overturning Of
the odd Guard" and the placing Of
public affairs in the hands of men of a
more progressive or more radical type.
Pinchots recent address decrying
party regularity was not without a
large measure of truthfulness. Party
re gularity when it means blind sub
serviency is not to be commended or
encouraged. The spirit of revolt
against unclean methods and unprin-
cipled men, such as Tennessee re
Gently saw, is worthy of all applause
Fortunately the need for this has been
less in the South than in the North and
West where Pinchots remarks have a
broader and deeper application. Said
he, in part:
Party ties sit more lightly on the
voter today than for many years, and
that is well. In the last election many
Republican was beaten by the re-
fusal OF his neutrality-suspicious. to sup
port him rather than by the opposition
of the Democrats The political unrest
Of today is merely sign of political
independence, and political independ-
ence holds the promise of free institu-
lions.
The man who always votes a
straight ticket has destroyed his own
/ political effectiveness He has simply
counted himself out The vote of the
always-regular Republican simply
cancels the vote of tn ealways-regular
/ Democrat In the effect the two are
paired, and neither has an influence on
the final result,
The hide-bound regular must swal-
/ low what is set before him Down it
must go, though it choke him. Dis
likes and misgiving alike give way at
the crack of the party whip. Therefore
he has nothing to say as to platforms
or candidates. The men the political
leaders never fear to lose are the men
these same leaders need make no eff
fort to retain When party platforms
are drawn up no changes need BE-
made to meet the rock-ribbed regulars
views, for he Will vote the ticket any
how. When candidates are nominated
10 concessions to his preference are
required, for he will vote the ticket
anyhow. When elections are held the
|rubber-stamp voter on the one side is
offset by the rubber stamp voter on
the other side, and the issue is deciL ID
gby the men who vote their convictions
where they find them The men WHO
Icount are the men with independence
Ienough to weigh platforms, judge CALI
Iaidates and act on what they find
! THE mau who boasts of his ud-
snalidn!e regularity is boasting of his
unshakayle inefficiency. He is proud
| that he Goes not count. The men who
Will not fellow the leaders when they
60 wrong are the men who kee D he
leaders right, The men who will not
follow the party when it goes wrong
Iar2 The men who keep the party right.
Whatever is right and vital in G,p|
Republican rarity today is progressive.
Whatever is not progressive is dying
OF dead. When any part of a living
body dies, cut it eff and cast it from
thee, or the death of the whole wiz