New-York tribune., 1871-07-12
A CHANGE or FRONT.

The absence of principle and the open
shamelessness which are the characteristics
of our City Government for once serve
good purpose. If we could now be aston
ished at any act of the Directory when
governs us, the news of this morning
would fill the community with amazement'
The Kelso Circular is withdrawn, and the
Governor offers to use the entire power of the
State to preserve the peace in case it is threat
ened by the riotous opponents of the Orange
men. This is a desperate though tardy
effort on the part of Gov. Hoffman
to save the Democratic party of the
State, whose position has now assumed
a national Importance, from the consequences
of the enormous blunder which sprang from
the ignorance and reckessness OF the CITY
Hall Directory. AS there is a positive
comfort in a feeling of confidence toward
the head of the State, we wish we
could ascribe this action to the Governors
sense of right and of civic duty. But 1t is
only too evident that it was forced upon him
and the party he represents by the unex-
pected vehemence of the popular protest
against the wretched trucking of the city au-
thOrities. Not only in the public press, which,
with the sole exception of the hired tool OF
Tammany, denounced the surrender to the
mob in dignifed and fitting language, but
also on the streets and i'll all places OF public
resort, there was but one voice of detestatlon
of the craven betrayal of the very principle
of government by the gang of unprlncipled
spoilsmen by whom we are misruled. 1T was
rarely you could find any one so lost to
all sense of manliness or national self
70
the Keso circular. BY singular freak
of poetic justice even the ruflans in whose
behalf the order was issued expressed no
gratitude for it. They growled at MIR. Hall
for spelling their days fun. But all decent
citizens felt that the fair name of the city had
been stained by the bungling hands of that
coarse cabal, which is so reckless toward the
| law and so cOwardly toward the mob. Later
| in the day. every cheek which had retained its
! capacity to blush was Redeemed with
shame when the proclamation of the
! Democratic Governor of New-Jersey ap-
peared, in which he not only warns
the evil doors of his own State of the sure
punishment which will follow any attempt at
the fulilment of their riotOus designs, but
| also takes occasion to inform our own rowdies
of the reception which will await them, if the
expected leisure of to-day should tempt
them over the water From the universal ap-
plause bestowed on that sensible and spirited
paper our own rulers may have gained some idea
of the depth of public contempt into which they
had fallen by their own subservience to tht
mob
The proclamation of the Governor was tn,
only way out of the untenable position the
Democratic organization of the city had
assumed. His action comes too late to say,
the party from that popular condematio,
which always follows such criminal blunders
1t is scarcely possible that the Orangemen
who had accepted the situation of force
created by the Circular of Superintendent
Kelso, can now so far modify their arrange
ments as to go on with their interrupted
celebration. The very change of front, exc
cuted so suddenly in the face of critical cir
cumstances, is a sufficiently clear evidence o
confusion of cOunsels which is fatal to th
discipline and success of political party.
1t is possible that an attempt may be made
TO load the whole fascO upon Superintendent
Kelso. and TO send him out into the wilder
ness bending under the sins of the Ring. Blu
no such palry device can succeed with th
people at large Behind Kelso stands ou
Mayor and no jugglery of signatures can pre-
vent the recognition of that wonderful styl'
where Donnybrook vies with the City, Hal
for adequate expression. Behind the Mayo
is that trio of shifty adventurers whC
own and control him, and 1t Il
this final power which has inspired
and guided His HonoI's fatally iacil'