New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-15

"psrty to attempt to injure the reputation OF
"party leaders upon whom they depended for
"party strength"
There was a threat as well a. an admon
ton in this sentence. IL is az If Mr.. Mann
had said to these representatives OF the Re-
publican party of Pennsylvania that these as
SYMPTOMS of virtue could not be allowed the
party is still in the business of running can
didates and winning elections; every one
knows how that is done; the election of last
October was a specimen of it; the lightning
"calculators of the party saved the State !;
elections are won, not on the stump nor III
convention, but by square, judicious and fear
less stuffing of the balot-boxes; this Is the
work of that Ring which the rural members are 80
willing to dcnounce; the perfected system OF cleo
toral frauds in Philadelphia, which is the chief
reliance of the party in the State, is the result
of enormous labor and care pursued for years
along a narrow path, bOrdered by success on
the one side and the State Prison on the other.
Who has the right to speak unexpectedly of
that kind of work, when the whole party
profits by it, and the President himself gives
it his approval by the prompt pardon of con-
yicted repeatersf There is the crack of the
whip in Mr.. Manns threat, as If he had said,
Keep a civil tongue in your head about
Kings. or the Ring will let you carry your
L" elections yourselves"
Wo do not wish to seem too sanguine, but
there are signs, and they are increasing every
day, that this style of appeal Is beginning to
lose its force everywhere in political gather
ings. On the very day when Mr.. Mann called
the Grant minds of the Pennsylvania delegates
to thoughts of discipline, a convention of $50
farmers, in session at Des Moines, composed
in great number of Republicans who had
voted for Gen. Grant, formally renowned
their allegiance to party and declared that
both the existing organizations had outlived
their usefulness. Their proceedings were con-
cluded by a speech from the Chairman
of the Democratic State Committee of Iowa
formally announcing the demise of the
organization over which he had presided. The
night before Gov. Booth OF California III
public speech had declared that party disc-
pine is, and of right ought to be, at an end.
This able and rising Republican politician,
one of the cleverest and most esteemed among
all its Young men, said "When parties cease
"to represent principles and ideas, no power
"can hold them together. Men to-day differ
"not as Republicans or Democrats, but as men
"of independent convictions" These utter
ances of recovered freedom in the Mississippi
Valley and on the shore of the Pacific are
not without an echo here. Even in Harrisburg
the spirit of party servility has no
such absolute control as it had
short while ago. in spite of Mr.. Mann's
warning, Mr. Paxson was not nominated, and
the Ring may do as it chooses about electing
his successful competitor The Convention
did another thing which showed an equal
disrespect for party leaders and for MIR.
Mann's advice. 1t denounced the increase of
salaries by Congress, it condemned without
reserve those who voted or received the back
nav, and demanded an immediate repeal OF
the bill by which these measures were
authorized. A glance at the table we
lately published will show how many
"party leaders on whom the party strength
depends are damaged by this sweeping con-
demnatlon. Neither in Harrisburg nor in Des
Moines is there any discrimination between
the cOvetous or dishonest members of the two
political parties. OF course no ono will pre-
tend that it was pure outburst of indignant
integrity which inspired these resolutions. But
they do furnish proof that Conventions are
beginning to fear the voters more than the
leaders and that is n very fair beginning.