New-York tribune., 1875-07-26
Cooper's pamphlet affords us only another
instance of the dangers experienced ny good
men in bad company.
rauNAyY RRORGANIzATTON.

The report of the Tammany subcommittee
on Discipline has been read nnd accepted, anu
three of the insubOrdinate statesmen who have
recently made n disturbance In the Democratic
camp are virtually expelled. These are the
Hon. John MOrrisscy, his next friend MT.
james Hayes, and his Honor Judge Ledwith'
the case of Shandlcy being turned over for
further consideration. The men who have
thus been thrust out were certainly no crcdit
to the organization. The prom1-
nencc of John Molrisscy in politics
has always been u public scandal, and how
over popular that eminent sport and br'lscr
nav be among the big-ppc men on the borIe-
wards and the gamblers nt Saratoga, his repu-
,ation has cost the Democratic party on the
whole many more votes than his personal IN
Huence ever brought it. Nor il he only OBJ
iec,.onabc on account of his disreputable oc-
cupaiions. He is not thief like Tweed. but
his political methods arc hardly less debasinS
and coyr1lpting than were those OF the Boss
himself. TO keep a horde OF merce-
naries-thousands Of labOring men paid
out of the public purse an extravagant price
for pretending to do unnecessary work-in
other words. to levy taxes for the support OF
Mr. MoITisseys friends-this Is the theory OF
municipal government which MOrrissey. Hayes,
[edwith, ShandLey, and all that set profess
without the least concealmcnt or circumlocutioD.
Norri,sey thought it an excellent JOKE when
Mayor Wiclham proposed that appontees to
important offices should possess common school
education and similar elements of fitness, and
he believed he had pcIpetrated superb satir"
when he paraded the streets in swal!ow-tail
coat. with lavender gloves on his hands. and
French dictionary under his arm, and told
the wondering acquaintances who met him thar
he was going 10 the City Hall to try for an
"oilice.r The only qualification for place, in
Morrissry's opinion, is ability ana readiness to
serve the rarty-tbe only qualification and the
all-suiiccnt one. "You can't run political
orglnization," said he at Saratoga, "with-
"out workngincn in it. and these mast
abe taken care Of it y0u want to
"keep them in it," That is tho whole
philosophy of the Morrissey system of politics
The very oilensc which Ia made the cause-Or
more properly the prctcxt-of the discipline
now inflicted upon him was his rebellion
against the resolution of the City government
not to pay tho day laborers on the public
works any higher wages than private persons
paid for the same service.
We should be glad to believe That the depO-
sition of Morris'cy mcint thorough reform
of Democratic politics. but that Is u blessing
of which slight prospect as yet appears. Tho
very committee report which celsurcs Norris
sey for getting up a meeting to protest against
the reduction OF wages is careful to explain
that the regular orthodox 1ammany Organlza-
ton, the regular Tammany Committee on
Organization, and the regular 1ammany ma
iolity of tho Board of Aldermen, have
all placed themselves on record in condemna-
ton OF the same reduction, and that to assert
that thcy as,enlel to II is IL foul aspcrson.'
Moilissey's Olicnse was not bad politics but
Decentralization. aud the Wordngmcns Mass
Meeting" WAS Only the elimination OF Il
quarrel. II is the fact, however, that when
John Morrisscy and his followers leave Tam
! many Hall the worst elements of the Demo-
cratic party will be depOsed trOm III eminencc
where they are doing great deal of mischief
and gcttin, th,ir more decent associates into a
great deal of discrcdt.
Mr. Morris,cy declares that he will have his
revenge. He will try a fall with John Kelly
in the next election, and prove to that bold
sachem that Tammany cannot carry the city OF
New York without the active support of the
Molrisscy faction in fact, that there is no way
to win except iy taking care of the work
ingmen.n which means. in his vocabulary,
taxing million of people in order to give to II
thousand or 40 laborcrs gratuity which they
have not earned. We shall not be sorry to see
the issue squarcly fought out at the polls.
The attitude OF the Ncw-York Democracy on
certain important questions of government and
reform is not as clear ~ it might be. and this
viii help to settle it. and enable the ndepend
ent voter to decide how he snail cast hts
ballot.