Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1876 — OBLIGATIONS TO PARTY. [ARTICLE]

OBLIGATIONS TO PARTY.

No man who goes into a political convention as a candidate for nomination, or who participates as the friend of a candidate, rests under any moral obligation to support those whose success is achieved by the practice of trickery, chicanery or fraud. make their acts binding, caucuses and conventions must be conducted on rules of honesty and strict honor. In every instance where tricks aro resorted to in the nomination of party tickets, it is far better For the opposition to triumph, for a time, than those who unscrupulously resort to disreputable practices be permitted either to control our party, dr what is of jnfinitely more importance, the public interests. Every man is to be respected for bis advocacy of, and faithful adherence to, correct principles; but no good principle can safely be entrusted to tho care of unprincipled men. Politicians may preach until grey about their love for honesty and official integrity; but they will never be able to promote the objects of their professed affection through the medium of reckless men. Bolting and scratching are always expedient, are always honorable, are alwffys right, when disreputable men have places on the tickets presented us to vote, or if there is reason to believe that any one thereon has seoured his position by dishonest practices. Not only is this true of township affairs, but it is au immutable rule which may be safely applied to county, state, or national politics. And he who has the courage to apply this law in, practice, exercises a constitutional right which no man npr party may, justly or with propriety, call him in question for.

Maj. Calkins is “setting ’em up” to the boys in .the little saloons about town. Politics makes strange bedfellows.— LtcPorte Argus. Oh.!- well; it is no worse over there than down here. The great party, of . moral ideas, temperance- professions and Christian culture, is running a rcligiobummer ticket in Jasper county this season. You see it behooves us all in this Centennial year of political uncertainty, to practice every captivating

jiustom of good-fellowship. And the Argus, ardently democratic as it k, ought not to find fault(wyh our republican friends because oftheir amiability ; because it was declared at St, Louis, and written in the text of the great reform platform, to bo published in every newspaper and prodaimod from every rostrum of our blessed land, that “we, the delegates of the democratic party of the United States, in national convention assembled * * * do here reaffirm onr faith in tho liborty of individual conduct, unvexed by sumptuary laws.” Now if Maj. Calkins sets up the beer for the boys iu LaPorte county, or George Robinson does it in Jas.per, we protest that no democratic editor who endorses bis party platform by working for the nominees standing thereon, has any consistent, right to find fault with it. And so far as the candidate for congress is concerned, if it be true that Maj. Calkins practices the sumptuary precept of democracy, he is entitled to democratic support, because his competitor, Dr. Haymond, will do nothing of that kind. Elsewhere will be found a report ot the organization of a Hayes and Wbeeley clnb, which was perfected 'on last Saturday evening. In that report the name of Mr. M. O. Cissel, of this office, occurs as secretary. The use of Ilia name wae without his knowledge, and while . thanking republican friends for the honor intended,- he respectfully declines to serve in that or other capacity. It is a settled. policy in the management of The Union not ,to he connected by entangling alliances will existing political organizations. Shis 'Union is an independent newspaper ia the broadest sense of that term; and must be absolutely free to discuss, advocate or condemn measures and men as conviction suggests. Our ambition is to inspire confidence among men of honor |nd discrimination that we advocate what we believe is true and right for the sake of right and truth alone —not from fear or favor, prejudice or pride. Lest our democratic and greenback friends fail into an-error in regard to the meaning of this declination we add, both of the proprietors of this paper woulj as promptly decline any tender *of like honors in their organizations. When in our judgment the time shall arrive to decide between parties which are now struggling for supremacy, the decision will be positive and as logical as we buve ability to mako it; and from that time until the close of the campaign wo shall labor industriously for the success of those in whose favor that decision is made. The statement which is copied in some democratic newspapers from tho Indiauapolis Herald to the effect that Hon. Anson Wolcott was arrested during the war for an attempt to smuggle goods to tho enemy, we do not believe is true. Mr. Wolcott, though very unsound in his political, or, rather, his financial views, is an honorable gentleman, and was entirely true to his country during the years of the war.— LaPurle VhrotUeU. The truth of this matter is that Mr. Wolcott was never arrested for any cause whatever; never attempted to smuggle anything whatever to the enemies of the government; was never accused of the crime daring the war ; is an honester man than the republican candidate for governor of Indiana; is qualified to fill the office creditably, to the honor of the state, and ought to be elected. A call has been issued for the independents of Jasper and White counties to meet in convention at Bradford, Saturday, August 12th, at 2 q’clock p. m., to nominate a candidate for representative in the state legislature. The Monticello Constitutionalist says this convention will nominate a greenback candidate for. representative in opposition to hard-money Carr. Just exactly bow a member of the state legislature will be able to effect the financial polioy of tho United States, is known only to those democrats who cling to the exploded doctrine of state sovereignty. ’• 4 A

Would it not be well .'for the managers of the Jasper County, Tmperance Union to arrange for an address, at their next from the bartender candidate on the republican oounty ticket ? Or, will it not bo better for that society to postpone further meetings until after tho October election, in order not to array the temperance element against the republican bummer ticket? If any man in Jasper county objects to voting for a Chicago ward politician, or a shoulder-bittor, shake tho bloody shirt and tell Rim the democratic party is responsible for Southern outrages which only occur in republican states and are never punished by republican) judges, governors or presidents.

Let no guilty man escape. move all public officers who were' efficient in convicting the whiskey ring and nominate bartenders for county officers. Reform must be bnilt from the ground up. Wanted: Chicago ward polititicians to manage public affairs in Jasper county, and promote the temperance cause among the inhabitants thereof by precept and example. Candidates were nominated by Cincinnati and St. Louis conventions to reform the public .service; the public service was nominated by the Jasper county republican primary election to reform candidates. What Remington delegate at the Reynolds republican convention arched liis spine and spit “no,” when it was moved to make the. nomination of John P. Carr unanimous ? If any respectable republican objects to voting for the democratic nominees on the Jasper county republican ticket, abuse him oq the spot. Temperance and consistency are excellent virtues in their place, but their place docs not appear to be on the republican county ticket.