Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 118, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1909 — A Lesson of the Election That Stands Out Conspiciously. [ARTICLE]

A Lesson of the Election That Stands Out Conspiciously.

One conspicious fact stands out in the election of Tuesday and that ‘is that neither democrats nor republicans like to support a man who has been fickle in his party affections. In other words, a man who has been of one faith for a long time and has become disgruntled and gone over to another party, or who will permit the use of his name on the ticket of an opposite faith to the one he professes to believe in. Two instances were before the voters, and both were ingloriously defeated. One was that of John Carmichael, who was once elected a republican councilman and whose service in that office smacked largely of bungling incapacity. John was not wanted by any one a second term. He was made the mark of democratic Barcasm and was a burden that the republican party could not afford to shoulder. John did what every disgruntled fellow does when he was kicked out of the back door of one party; he climbed into the front pew at the next convention of the opposition party and hung up his “office wanted” sign. Diplomacy suggested his nomination by the democrats, although it was a hard dose for the progressive element of that party to swallow, and the result of the election shows that John came out at the tale end Of the democratic ticket, with the fewest votes cast for any candidate on either ticket. He could not poll the strength of the democratic ticket, because democrats don’t like a turn coat any better than republicans. The other incident was that of H. R. Grow. He was also a republican councilman a few years ago, and got out of office, we believe, .of his own desire. He has claimed to be a republican since that time, except to acknowledge that he has voted for koine democrats, occasionally. He stated after being nominated for councilman on the democratic ticket that he had said that he would not accept the nomination, but the local democratic paper said in explanation that he had assured the democrats that he would accept the nomination. He did accept it, and the result shows that his republican friends would not vote for him, and also that a number of democrats would sooner vote for a republican on a republican ticket than for a republican on a democratic ticket. The voters in each instance showed plainly that they like to vote for men of fixed policies who know where they are at and why they are there. Never In our recollection have we seen an Instance of success ensue from a man of mature years jumping from one party to another. A change of conviction is another thing. Men may change their opinions in politics and support the change with substantial argument, but when the change is signaled by an“office wanted” sign, the public is properly skeptical about the sincerity of the conversion and look askance upon the motive of the apostate.