Year: 1873

them because he could not be used as they
desired to use him, but had plans and objects
OF his own to carry out. In all quarters the
self-styled champions of honest government
are squabbling and fighting among themselves.
These are the fruits we have gathered from
political reform.


Another election is close upon us, and the
reform cry is again raised. The Committee
OF Seventy crops out anew, with a fresh yield
of expectant ofice-holders. The almost for


gotten demand for ga vigorous prosecution of


the Tammany thieves" is revived. The
striking reform associations lift up their
heads, which since the last election have been


buried in beer barrels and whiskey jugs. and
the pestiferoas breath of political hucksters
once more taints the air. The party managers
are holding their conventions and
naming candidates for whom the people
are to be allowed to vote next
November and laying down platforms de-
signed to cover up their past rascality by
meaningless promises for the future. The
republicans have already put into the field





little known except among political cliques,
and adopted platform which thunders
loudly against Legislative corruptions for
which republicans are responsible and against
Congressional plunder permitted by repub-
ican Congress- The democrats meet to-mor-
row in convention, and will probably initiate
the example of the republicans both in the
character of their nominations and in their
expressions of virtuous indignation against
corruptions in which democrats have willingly
shared. So for as the State Offices are con-
.cerned it will matter but little by which party
they may happen to be filed. But in the
selection OF legislative, Judicial and county
officers, the people of New York have deep
interest," and they should refuse to be used
any longer by the political jugglers who have
for the last two years cheated them into the
support of dishonest and incompetent can
didates under the false pretence of re-
form. Committees framed for the pre-
tended purpose of securing good nominations
are generally frauds. They should be avoided
and their action should be unheeded, for the
reason that their object is almost invariably to
promote personal objects, and not to guard the
public interests. The Independent voters of
the city are the only proper and honest reform
committee. They should take no part in
either political organization or in any side
show that may be opened by adventurers and
spectators in the political circus. Their bust
ness is to scrutinize carefully the character Of
kha
the judiciary and the county Offices, and
to select such as are the most 'unquestionably
honest and competent, no matter by whom
they may have been put in nomination.
If notoriously improper nominees are put
forward by oil parties it will require but little
money and little exertion in every such dis
trict to run peoples candidate. The sue
cess, two years ago, of candidates who had
never been thought of two or three days
before the election proves that this is
not an impossible, not even difficult
task where the sound, honest and indie
upon securing real reform. We commend
the suggestion to the consideration of
our citizens. For two years they have been
defrauded out Of their votes by bogus and
fraudulent reform. Now let them distrust
and discard oil unions and combinations
between self-styled reform organizations
and political parties, for they are only so many
rotten trades and bargains, and let them act
as their own committee in selecting such can
didates as will give US in reality an honest,
efficient and liberal government The people
can trust themselves, and they have common
sense enough to act for themselves without
the intermeddling of self-constituted commit
tees or political wirepullers