Year: 1874

much abused term is being made tht
/ watchword of every movement gotten vi
in the assumed interest of the people
just as it was adopted by the old Demo
cratic party when, from the summit o
the political Mount Pisgah, they coulC
gaze upon the promised land-of Office
far beyond their reach. But the prom
ises Of reform so lavishly made were o,,l,
promises, as the duped people were forced
to acknowledge when a trial of Demo
cratic rule had been made. So are W.
now deluged with promises by the new
party Of purity which is springing up tC
reform all abuses and right all existing
wrongs. Self is to be entirely ignored
by its leaders-their services, we hold
are to be given gratuitously. Such names
as those Of "Long John" Wentworth
and others Of that ilk, are not exactly
calculated to inspire the highest degre(
Of confidence in the purity Of the motives
Of those at the head of this reform move
ment, we viii admit but-let us be
charitable. Let us presume that Long
John, having franked home his dirty lin
en- for the wash, and derived certain other
little official perquisites from his honora-
bic position as an NJ. c., is now fully pre-
pared to condemn such practices in 9TH
ers, and offer his services to an migrate
ful country free of charge.


If the so-called independent movement
is permitted to fall under the control Of
politicians Of the Wentworth stripe, il
will utterly fail Of good. Such men are
not governed by either justice or reason
their aims are invariably selfish. They
either yield to the popular excitement
and fashion their acts to meet the expect
ations they have been instrumental in
raising setting all questions Of right and
wrong at defiance, or use their power for
a far different purpose to what was in
intended. Or, like the reformers Of Cal
fornia, who forced the passage Of the
Freeman bill and would accept neither
compromise nor amendment, they man
age to oyerdo their attempts and thereby
render their own actions nugatory.


In the changes Of parties which follow
the introduction Of new elements into
politics, it is not TO be expected that
men will hold allegiance to party to the
same degree as when the life Of the ma
tion hung trembling in the balance
Blind obedience to party tyranny and IA
naticism is one Of the greatest dangers OF
an elective form of government. The
proof Of this is to be found in referring to
the elements which composed the Demo
cratic strength in the Northern States
while the Union was battling for its very
existence. That party retained certain
/ elements Of strength which followed it to
the verge Of treason, thinking apparent
ly that Democracy, like the king, " can
do 10 wrong" Such yielding Of passive
obedience to the behests Of party is
flaught with danger to the best interests
Of free government, and we are surprised
that, after full experience Of the ine0i-
cheney Of distinct party organizations rs a
means for the reformation Of abuses. men
who are truly earnest in their desires for
reform should still have confidence in
such means. The Independents of Hi
nois were on the right track last year,
and had they continued in the course then
adopted, could not fail Of ultimate sue
cess. Making no nominations as a scpar-
ate party, they cast their vote solid Tor
the candidate or principle rejecting their
views and thus held over both of the
old parties the menace Of defeat il un-
worthy men were put forward, or living
issues ignored. The result was com
pletc overthrow Of parties as then consti-
tuted and while the victories were appar-
emily achieved by the old parties, they
were in reality Independent triumphs.-
As it is the working machinery of the
new party is already being controlled by
the demagogues and sincere rciormers
becoming disguised. In the platforms
adopted by the Independents Of Indiana
ana LIMOS, lhere Is very little but Will
meet the approval Of the masses, Repub-
licans and Democrats alike. And, act
ing independently, those desirous Of the
success Of those principles could have
compelled their adoption, or doomed the
party refusing to certain defeat. BY en-
tering the field as n third party they have
lost this opportunity, besides arraying
the other organizations against their own,
and the chances are that even if ifsuccess-
ful at the polls, the demagogues who have
crowded to their ranks and are oudest Of
all in their cries for reform, will sell them
out at the first opportunity and render
their seeming triumph a fruitless one.