Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 October 1886 — Some Words About Sceatching and Bolting. [ARTICLE]

Some Words About Sceatching and Bolting.

To such of our Republican readers as may be contemplating scratching some part of their ticki et next Tuesday we should like to j address a few last words, iu a kindly spirit, in regard to the practice I of scratching tickets in general, i We are not among those extreme partizans who condemn scratching ,in all possible cast's, but we are 1 among those who recognize that it lis a practice which should be resorted to with extreme rarity and moderation. Scratching, trading and bolting in politics is a practice which soon breaks down party discipline and sows_the seeds of ! dissensions and internecine strife, ■ which often results in the local disorganization and disruption of the party. A near and pertinent illustration of the truth of what we have just said is furnished by our neighboring county of Benton, in which the Republicans, although having a clear majority of over 200 iu the county, have for years been unable to elect half of the county officers, all owing to dissensions and bitterness growing out ‘ of the uncalled for defeat of certain Republican candidates, years ago. j The conditions which will justi:fy a party man to resort -to the ! dangerous remedy of scratching or bolting are, chiefly: Ist. The well established existence of corrupt combinations known as rings, which sometimes succeed in usurping controlof local political organizations and the consequent offices and emoluments. Rings are institutions that seldom flourish • within > the limits of the Republici an party, the masses of that partybeing too intelligent and too independent to submit to their domi-’ s nation. There is no ring in Republican politics of Jasper county, [ and no. .truthful man, in the full I possession of his faculties, pretends to bqjieve there is. The popular methods of choosing candidates = and z party Jeaders which have long 1 prevailed among the Republwangr

of the county would make the existence of rings simply impossible. A certain unprincipled, disorganizing sheet published in this place, often indeed affirms the existence of a ring within the Republican party of this county; but if called upon to give the names of the members of that and the recipients of its favors it would only mention a single man, and the absurdity of a ring compbsed of only one person is evident upon its face □2nd. Where candidates obtain their nominations through notoriously corrupt and unfair means. There is not the slightest grounds for claiming that any of the Republican candidates have been unfairly or dishonestly nominated. The editor who through motives of personal malignancy is stopping at no means, however unscrupulous or untruthful, in his efforts to defeat one of the candidates on the Republican ticket, has not ventured to assert that he was nominated unfairly. 3rd. If a candidate has already proven incompetent for the duties of the office for which he is nominated or if he has proven dishonest or unfaithful in that or any other public capacity. No such charges can truthfully be brought against any of the present Republican candidates. - 4th. The selfish se 1 ling out* and betraying by one candidate of one or more of his brother candidates of the same party. This offense, if well proven, should always subject the perpetratoi to ignominious and overwhelming defeat*