Year: 1875

In the excitement attendant upon q po-
litical canvass, the most dangerous results
to good local government spring forth.
In too many instances, any person who
receives the nomination Of his party is
esteemed to be in all respects suitable for
the position. No greater fallacy than
that ever existed. Political conventions
are very uncertain affairs. The result Of
their deliberations is often as uncertain as
that ofa jury's. 1t frequently happens
that the decision of convention is thrown
agains: the person possessing the greatest
qualifications for certain position, and
in favor of one who is possessed of the
least. That this is the result of a calm,
deliberate judgment is not to be inferred.
Conventions frequently make nomina-
tions of which their own members are
ashamed. Yet even then the strength Of
party discipline carries the nominees thro'
safely and the people are the sufferers.


The judgment of the masses is hardly
ever wrong. With them, to name a
candidate is ut once to raise the question
of qualifications, and these are pretty
thoroughly analyzed before convention
meets. If no trading or log rolling is
iesortcd to, the choice of the people is
generally the choice of a convention, but
there is no man who is at all conversant
with the past politics of this county but
must admit that in too many instances
the choice Of the people was thrust aside,
and, through the trickery and manipula-
tions of the wire pullers, men who were
not their choice received the nomination
for important and responsible positions.
Then the all-pOtent cry OF regularly
nominated" would be set up, the defeat
cd candidates were expected to marshal
their forces and help the ticket, the disaf.
fected we're plead and argued with TO fall
into line and stick to the nominees, fol
'the good Of the party" We actually
! know of one candidate for the State Sen
ate, who came within one vote of a nomi-
nation, who afterward put up Il notice in
yillainous chirography, claiming fifty
sloos heds Of waiter" And so great was
his party strength, that mad he obtained
the nomination, instead of his successful
competitor, he would have been elected,
and have aired his ignorance Mt the State
Capital, to the disgrace of those who
mould ho,,n Ii,,, tboro nd
were afterwards told that he was not so
very far behind his competitor, at that.


The moral Of this is that in the selection
of county officers, good men only should
be elected. If party learns that nomi-
nees who are not the choice of the party,
or are unqualified, are forced upon it are
pretty sure Of getting beaten, it will soon
| learn to select its nominees from the best
of its mem mbership. In the matter of To-
cal government we are all deeply inter.
ested. We want competent men for al
our county Offices, and if one side does moi
present them they should be taken from
/ the other. In this way parties would fee
compelled to bring their best men to the
front, partisan trickery would be found
an institution that was not paying one
and good and efficient local government


would follow. The Republican ticket will


challenge comparison in this respect, anC
citizens who have an interest in local at


fairs, will see no reason to erase n name
upon it.