New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-11-24
THE CONNECTICUT VIEW OF IT.


ters to the Republican party, of settling up
theories and reading easy lessons, and deduc-
ing morals and such other profitable and en-
tertaning exercises as follow the Autumn
elections, having been fairly attended to by
the. politicians and the press, there has come
q lull in that department of political discus
sion and kind of folding of hands in med
itative survey of the situation Nearly all the
distinguished persons in the country, and quite
all the newspapers, have felt the pulse OF the
Administration party and expressed an opinion
as to what the matter was. In most OF the
States there is no important election for
year to come, and so there is compar-
ative peace. NewH Hampshire and Connect
icut, however, hold elections in the Spring
of 1875, and though the hustle Of preparation
for them has hardly yet begun, there is a
disposition there to linger little upon the
lessons of the late defeats, and gather wisdom
for their own approaching political contests.
The careful manner in which the Administra-
ton newspapers in Connecticut are consider
ing the subject with reference to the policy
and management of the party in that State is
quite interesting to contemplate. How to
recover the State from the Democrats in April
is the great question, and there seems to be
no lack Of suggestions, prescriptions, and
advice.
The Nor,cich Bulletin has formulated quite
an elaborate programme for the party, based
upon the fact that heretofore the Republicans
of the State have shaped their course to
"catch votes" rather than to represent
"princplcs." "The platform" it says "has
"been framed so as to dsplease the smallest
number" and the study has been how not
"to lose votes" The Hartford COurdnt, whose
editor, Gen. Hawley, has made most of the
Republican platforms since the war, does not
hail the disclosure with enthusiasm but mild
ly protests that they have had some very
good platforms. The Bulletin, however, goes
on to say that the thing to do is to make a
platform $50 clear and explicit and so true
that even child Will understand it," "This
is the method of successful parties" it says,
and must be adopted Descending to particu-
lars, it proposes in the first place, ga plain
"and explicit declaration in favor of gold
Gas basis of currency, and an early
return to specie payments" which is good
but not new. Then it proposes to declare
firmly against special legislation" which
they are always doing and always stopping
with the declaration. Then to "protest against
the lavish use of money in elections" which
means that the Democrats are likely to NOM
mate somebody who will spend more money
than his opponent. They always protest in
convention, and use money through the State
Committee, and ask no questions. They must
also demand economy" which they have al
ways done. They must "emphasze the
amendments to the Constitution" &C., which
is another form of "pointing with plide,n and
has never been neglected And, lastly,
they must "insist that the civil service be
" bettered," and be "rid of those evil tend
" encies which it inherited from the Demo-
"cratic party"-a suggestion which has q
somewhat familiar flavor.
And this is the way the party must 20 to
work to recover the State, according to the
organs. All these things have been said
before in one form or another, and Gen.
Hawley is quite right in believing that they
have been very plainly and clearly stated in
his various platforms. The trouble in Con-
necticut, as elsewhere, is not in what the
party has said or neglected to say, but in
what it has done or neglected to do. No Mat
form promises will recover the ground il has
lost. The people have had altogether too
many of them already. Their insincerity and
hollowness have been too often demonstrated
No one will pay them the slightest attention.
The truth that these wise physicians are I'M
able or unwilling to discover is that the voters
Will not trust the men who have made
so many promises and so invariably
forgotten or repudiated them. The best men
in tho party have become demoralized by
power and misled by partisanship, and the
voters have but just found it out. The prom
se of Civil Service Reform was made before
Senator Buckingham made his whtewashing
report On the New York Custom house. and