New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-10-25
THE Fun or Politics.

The political contests of the present season
have been earnest, but, thus far they have not
been il-naturcd We have observed, it is true,
in Boston gentlcman's epstles upon paper
money, a slight tendency to accrbity-obseryed
it with mingled emotions of regret and sur
prise but, rs n rule, both writers aud speakers
have kept their little and great tempers re-
markably well. No man has undergone more
driving shower of paper pellets than Mr. VIII
liam Allen; but we are happy i'll the bellef
that they have not shortened his already adj
yanced life by day. At one time we thought
of making a collection. ~ nearly a. pos
sble complete, of the quips and quirks
hurled ut that reverend head; but there
would have been a savOr OF disrespect III the
pl.n and so, remembering the biblical story
of the boys and the bear, we abandoned 1t.
Yet so long rs the testing is harmless and
good natured, it may even save us from
practical tngcdy-towns from m0bs, speakers
from bad eggs, candidates from abuse and
SANDER gentleman who runs for an office
knows what to expect. If he happens to have
n caricaturable face, he must not be surprised
to find il in the illustrated newspapers; ii hc
has Il nose "a little out of the common remark
ably long or short or 5nub, he Will he
often enough reminded of it; the pccrliari-
ties of his elOcutlOn are considered fair
game; and if in any way he can be made
Ridiculous why ridiculous be will be made. Ii
il happy for him if he can laugh with the
rest. A squ,b in Il newspaper is better than
big stone thrown through his front window; and
he cannot possibly appear so absurd in wood
cut as he might in coat of tar and feathers.
G u.,f, ,,,,lit isal
system. IN other times and other countries
unpopular public men have been hustled.
hanged dccapitated, burned or banished;
when We are quite out Of patience with Re-
publican or Il Democrat we triunphantly call
the attention of the universe to the dubious
shape of his nose, to the squeak OF
his voice, to the uncertainty of his
grammar, or 10 the ridiculous chasm between
his opinion of yesterday and his profession OF
to-day. While the campaign is yet young, he
gets nickname; as it advances, he is put
into the pilOry OF parody; now he lis made to
point pun and thcu to Nltajze a cOnundrlm;
the humorisS, whose strength il in bad spell
ing. make him spell as badly as they do; his
smile and his froWu, his thunder, and his muir
mars, his hat, his ueckclOth, and hi" panta-
looms: the cigar which lac smokes. all his lido
syncrasics, he the same of body, of soul.
or of spirit minute particulars OF his
private history from his first babyhood to
hi, second each merry alias by which he
has been kLown: the deeds OF his father and
ihc dongs of bis grandfather; every failure
and every folly the "poetry' which lie wrote
in his childhood the shoes which he mended
in his homage, the certain signs by which his
do,agc i established; the iihS which he told
at school. and the fGs6gatons which were
consequent thereon; the notabila and the
memorabilia and the ana of checkcred life
Ill these will isuy rise up against him, Woe
be TO him ii he be of the thin-skiuncd order
Of mammals. Unless ne can laugh
with the l0udcSt, receive pins without
wincing in the icshic,t part of his c0nstiu-
ton, aud show himself morally superior to
mosquitoes, let him ,hun ambition and cling
iuexorably to private life!
We think that usually the public loses its
respect FOR candidate who cannot command
his temper, while it has great admiration for
ailabilty under Giilicalties. The aspirant who
gets iut0 passion, commits assaults and writes
Indignant letters of extreme length 10 the
ncwspapcls may start with the better chance
some disposition is about the worst possible
qualification for Il canvass. Considering how
vehement are their differences OF opinion the
American people settle their political disputes
al the polls in II remarkably quiet way. They
suspect the availability of Il man who allows
tribe to make him mad. They like good hard
knocks, but in these there must ne nothing
naislauchtcrous. They prefer TO see the gen
ilcman who has been brought to grass and
grief come UP smiling.
Thus far our politics. not always, it must be
admitted, Over-cloanly; venal, sclf-seeking,
often shallow AZ tn y are, or inconsistent or
tickle, are yet free from the gravcr faults of
murdrious malice and of reycngcful fury, us
well AZ from the iatreds which find resource
in assassination. Ours WAS, perhaps, the most
good -naturcd ci,il war which the regretful
skies ever witnessed: and it has left wonder
fully little bad blood behind it. These small
civil wars, bitter but bloodlcss i'll which every
year we are engaged, a necessary feature of
democratic institutions, need not make lis for
get our humanity in general and our brother
hood in particular.