New-York tribune., 1870-11-01
pAPTY EEdITY.

We have at last the frank confession OF
leading Democratic newspaper that devotion
to the party is inconsistent with truth, honesty,
or self-respect. The editor OF Democratic
organ must be ready to give the lie to him.
self. to eulogize men whom he has already
convicted as swinders, to swallow his own
words, and to embrace aflectiOnately persons
of such picturesque moral character as Mr.
James Fisk, ir. "Ths World has never failed"
said our Democratic contemporary on Satur-
day, "since eight years ago it1 passed under
the control of its present editor, to give zeal
"Ous, unflinchng support to every regular
"Democratic State ticket and every regular
democratic city ticket in every election. :.
"7he World has always had the good sense to
"acquiesce in accomplished facts. We
"can conceive of no ground on which we could
"have been justified in efforts to produce
"schism in the Democratic party and disrupt
ats organization because we had not been on
" the winning side in O local party quarrel" If
the fight against the rascality of the Ring
which THE World made last Winter was nothing
but "a local party quarrel" the Democracy
have o curious way of conducting their do
mestic disputes. On the 2Sth of February,
1870, The World said:
So long the press OF each party denounced corrup
tlon only in Its political opponents denied extenu
aed political friends, subordinang purity of morals
TO the hope OF party success the advocates OF reform had
no solid ground OF hope. Why may not politics
be also eevatng pursuit and q school OF virtue OBJ
vously IL never be so long permit party
sderatons 10 obscure and confound Of right
and wrong long think 1t incumbent upon us to
whtewash the crimes Of associates and backen the vr
tues of opponents. II we wish integrity in public life
we must have it wherever 1t appears. II we wish 10
Danish corruption must scorge it because 1t is
rupton and not merely because 1t happens to be dscov
cred on the other side. We must all act on the
principle that dishonesty is not 10 be screened by pros
sons Of party orthodoxy 1t the whole country
that politics should be purified. There is no
shielding corruption because members OF our
party the cupris, thu there would be In pro-
tectng cowardce and incapacy in military service
condonng vice and hypocrisy In our religious com
munion. II We wish army victorious must pun
ish and disgrace cowsrds II We wish our Church TO
make proselytes we must discipline weed out bad
members II wish political party TO be honOred
take that 1t does not harbor nest OF
ruptiOnists and swindlers."
Lest there should be any doubt of the per-
sons at whom these and many similar remarks
were directed, The World pointed out by name
as chief among the notorious "corruptiOnists
"Of the Ring" Mr.. A. Oakley Hall, its present
candidate for Mayor, and Mr.. William NJ.
Tweed, who is to all intents and purposes
Democratic candidate simultaneously for Gov
ernOr, Controller, Common Council, Board Of
Health, Commissioner of Public Works, Dicta-
tor Of the Erie Railway, President of the
United States, and head Of the Metropolitan
Police. These are the men whom The World
stigmatized as common swindlers, disgracing
the city, corruptng every branch of the Gov
ernment and imperiling the very foundation
of republican institutions. And now The
World has the effrontery to tell us that it
meant nothing by these hard names. Instead
of really trying to "banish corruption" and
purify politics. it was only engaged in a
petty local quarrel. The impeachment OF the
Ring was not prompted by wish 20 secure
"integrity in public life" it was merely
" a contest as to which of two rival city Or
ganizatiOns should be recognized by the Demo-
"cracy of the State" Is it possible for self
abasement to go lower than thisf
The truth is, The World discharged boom |
erang at Tweed, Hall, and Fisk. and the
weapon has returned and wounded the hand |
that threw it. There never has been a time |
when the people felt 30 keenly the necessity |
Df doing Just what The World urged last Feb
official integrity wherever they |
IAN find it, aud purifying politics oil tho borri- |