Year: 1871

This political disease which has aiflcted
the Democratic party recently has broken
out in the party of this county and the
disease is manifcsting very malignant
type. That it will be the death of the
entire party throughout the country is at
present greatly feared by its most thought
full men. And that it would be a virtuous
taking off of that gangrene political con-
spiracy against civilized democracy, is the
settled conviction of every careful student
of history.


The last battle of the Elkton "Ring" is
over some stanzas of doggrel which is
charged by the opposition to the " Ring "
with emanating from the Clerks office;
and thereupon the Clerk is set upon and
his follies and crimes, political are ripped
up with an unmerciful knife. He is de-
nounced by writer who assumes the
nome de plume of "Fair Play" for keeping
a "Radical - in his employ, as the perpe-
TRAITOR Of political crime of the darkest
and deepest dye. We give this arraign-
ment in the writer's own words which are
as follows:


"After soliciting and obtaining an Office
then upon his party allegiance, with what
grace can he now turn round upon that
position and appoint one of the rankest
Radicals in Cecil county? 1t is vain to
attempt defense of such conduct i'll a
party man. Is Cecil Democracy unable to
furnish man of intelligence sufficient for
the office? Yes, sir! hundreds of Demo-
st-intelligent-with starving
families-would have been glad to have
had it."


Without taking sides in this party fight
we merely quote this party dogma to pro-
test against, and condemn it in the name
of capability, honesty and good govern
ment. This principle here insisted upon
as the shibboleth of the party is what is
degrading and corrupting our Republic,
and is the great danger and evil which the
American people are called upon to reform.
No doubt "hundreds of Democrats-honest
-sntelligent-with starving familes-would
have been glad to have had it." There is
no doubt about this except the two words
we have italicised. "Honest, intelligent ="
men are not conspicuous for having I" "starv-
ing families" unless they are very lazy;
and man who is too lazy to earn an hon
est livelihood, is not fit for public official


But the sin of the Clerk for which Fair
Play" would have him crucified by the
party, looks, in our unsophisticated eyes,
more like "virtuc of necessity" than
criminal act. 1t may not be generally
known that it requires many months of
careful study and practice to educate
competent Clerk for that important office,
and when the present Clerk came into
possession of the office, there were but two
men in the county available who were COM
petent to fill the office. The one who
might have claimed it on party grounds
was offered the deputy clerkship, but per-
emptorily declined, and in the light of
duty to the public whose faithful servant
he had sworn to be, the Clerk elect secured
the services of the despised Nazarine, the
Radical.


Doubtless hundreds of starving Democrats
were ready, and eager to take that or any
other Office, although ignorant of its SIM
plest requirements, but would it have been
less than crime TO appoint such men?


We are not party to this delectable
family quarrel, and only take the above
declaration of principle as text to con-
denim the dogma which is turning our peo-
pie into set of unprincipled Office hunt
ers, and corrupting and demoralizing the
present generation. 1t will be day worthy
of general thanksgiving when some eff
cient and stringent tenure of Office law is
devised and enacted.