The New York herald., 1873-10-12
The Whirligig OF Reform-Take Your
Choice.

The Whiriigig OF Reform-Take Your
Choice.
The approaching elections will furnish con-
siderable bewilderment to the careful voter
who in the verdancy of his nature imagines
things are what they claim to be. We are
constantly reminded by students Of history
how reactions run to extremes, and how the
converts to the ideas of the hour outshout the
individuals who represented these ideas during
the weary, trying hours of their unpopularity.
1t may be opportune to recall that period in
French affairs when the royal ancestor of the
moody, plodding Man of Frohsdorf had
his height shortened by head, and rigid,
oaare republicanism was the order of the day.
Then bag wigs and lace rufaes went violently
out of fashion; young men cropped their hair;
to be fashionable was to be plain in dress,
blunt in speech and to address your friend as
''citizen," and to be loyal was to cry ''aristo-
Gratis to the guillotine!" when the tumbrel was
in sight Since Tammany of the old, thiev-
ing, lavishing shiny-hatted, diamond-studded
epoch has been decapitated the era of Reform
has come into being with as many-sided phases
as its French prototype. Next after the
heads of the Sachems the shiny hats of the
ward ballot-stuffers were the first to fall A
glossy hat nap was recognized as the badge
of the ''counter-out, while seedy stile' was
the heaven-challenging sign of an honest man,
fit to be inspector of elections. Next the
diamonds of Sycamore and Winiskinkie dis
appeared among the Hebrews from the soiled
shirt bosoms of the owners, and the proceeds
of the sale were invested in new linen. A
plain, clean shirt bosom became the outward
advertisement of heart free from guile, and
of man eminenuy fit to hold any Office in
the peoples gift. 1t was as great an appeal
to well known purity Of mind when an
aspiring politician laid his hand upon
such q shirt front as when the farmers
of the old English comedies slapped their
lowered waistcoats to indicate the bluff hon.
esty that everybody knew was beneath when
attention was called to the fact by the afore-
said patting of the abdomen. About this
period, too, the golden, jewelled and enam-
elled badges of the Tiger Head Club began to
disappear from the lapels of the snowy waist
coats. Where they went to would never have
been discovered but for the fact that the con-
veniently shady relative of all men with
portable property to pledge, ''my uncle" has
since displayed number of the pretty orna-
ments in his musty windows, under the sad
head of ''unredeemed." Reactions are ruth
less of the consecrating symbolisms Of the
trampled faith and all things of old Tam
many went out of fashion which tended to
remind one that such things as a plunder-
gorged chairmaker or a princely plasterer
ever had been. Reaction was named
Reform, and everybody was Refomer. Ex-
cepting the few leaders, who were as far be-
yond rehabilitation as the Judas Iscariot Of
Artemus Wards waxworks, of which an in
dignant Christian had caved in the skull, the
old Tigers of the Wigwam began changing
Reformers were left miles behind in the dis
play of seedy "tiles," plain shirt fronts and
loud professions Of reform. In comparison
with the new postulants the original vanquish-
ers Of soiled linen, diamond studs and shiny
hats appeared SO cloud in their attire that
serious and well founded doubts. As we we're
in for reform we could not have enough
of it Double-barrelled, opper-fastened,
time-saving steam-propelled, hemming, tuck
ing telling, rip-saw Reform associations were
formed with seedy 'stovepipes" and clean
shirt fronts as their seals and signs The
result to-day is, as we have said before,
bewilderng. If Diogenes had to select his
honest man from among the Reform associa-
tons of the city he would require two men
and a boy TO carry extra kerosene for his
lantern before he could be sure Of light
enough to go the rounds. Reformed Tam
many, with its hats Of the old
time rubbed the wrong way and its
linen white from the public laundress,
who had such a time cleaning it without
taking out all the wine spots, is in the van of
the brigade. Apollo Hall, which has put o
Chatham street clpapedu and clean 'dickey"
upon the head and breast of the ''bitter god to
follow, the beautiful god to behold" steps out
boldly as one of the original champions Of re-
form. It would have sent q poisoned arrow
into the heart Of the reformed tiger if it dared,
but, not daring, has preferred, it seems, to be
bodily swallowed by the latter beast of prey.
II has been promised share of the 'bones "
Next come the Custom House republican
civil service reformers, who give way 10
none in damaged caubeens and disinfected
linen. So dearly do they love reform that
they would fill all the offices while Tammany
and Apollo, like Johnny and Tommy, were
fighting for flies, and Johnny giving Tommy o
Dair of black eyes. Inaamed with the uu,