The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-07

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There is singular want OF appreciation
among those who should know better. of
what independent voting and third par
lies mean, and in what the Significance of
iuch consists. There l. n vast deal OF nom
tense uttered about the iuutilty, and want
Of power, and general imbccility OF move
ments outside of the two great parties into
which the country Is usually divided IL
Is held that in order to be effective
voters must be partisan; that unless n
man belongs 10 one or the other OF the two
leading parties he becomes cipher in
politics. and his influence Is lost.
Now there is a degree of truth i'm this
under certain exceptional circumstances.
but in general 1t is not true at all. Most
especially is 1t untrue in the constantly
recurring transitional states of parties
since IT Is really the independent body OF
voters, sometimes larger and sometimes
smaller, who effect all the important
changes in our politics.
In speaking of the reforming body of
men which came into existence in 1872
called the Liberal Republicans, II was but
natural, as IL Is but natural now. that the in-
terested leaders and narrow-ininded, pre-
JUDGED members and above all the Office
holding and oflice-eXpecting members of
tue Republican party, should stigmatize
them with opprobrious cpthets aud de-
ride their alleged numerical weakness.
But We did not expect to find in quar-
tiers whose antecedents were intelli-
gent, like the ErcHinJ Post, for ex-
ample, such shallow views. Yet that
Journal not long ago spoke of the Liberal
Republicans a. being reduced to one leader.
aud he without "A follower. This might do
II meant rs "A jest, but the Post seemed to
be quite in earnest.
The error of thought I'm the case arises
from the use of name which men do
not choose TO accept rs belonging TO
them, though they themselves really be-
long TO the great body of dissidents the
term i Intended to signify. The Post itself
Is an example Of what we mean 1t recog-
nizes the errors and crimes of the existing
Administration, and the selfish cupabiity
and conspicuous pronigacy of the men
who have forced Themselves into the lead
oi the Republican party all over the coun-
try. Aud il has at tunes been rs outspo-
ken a anybody in condemnation. When
II derde- Reform Republicans, or Liberal
ANfl'NtAt' tiiHs u Ail'ifl0If Siulilnts tstlf.
What can be palmer than the fact that
II ia the reforming elcmelt in tn, old Re-
publican party that has effected and IL
daily efectlng the political changes going
ON in the country Who is 1t that. either
10y action or non-action, is putting the Re-
pubhcans out OF power and the Democrats
mr. Who Is it, indeed but the dlsaffe cted,
reforming portion of the Republican party
ITSELF That body may not style itself Lib |
eral Republican-in1eed it may not have
any name at all 10y which II chooses 10 be
designated; bur it is nevertheless the ele-
ment that sprang into being i'm 1872 then
known as Liberal RepublicanisIn, and
which trumphed in ls1i, and which has
been steadily growing and developing IT.
self ever since.
Look at Massachusetts. GRANT and But |
LER, under the latter's lead, undertook n |
couple OF years ago To dragoon the Repub- |
Leans of that State into the support not |
only Of some OF the most Extensively cor |
rupt measures of the Administration, but
10 force them TO adopt n corrupt policy OF |
general politics ~ well. What did Massa-
chusetts voters do about it? Last year |
thirty or forty thousand of them bolt
a.
OF liberal or independent Republican
voting. They routed that great par
ty OF seventy-hve Thousand majority,
hitherto majestically triumphant in that
state, and chose, by voting, or not voting
Democratic Governor, aud majority of
opposition members of Congress, ejecting
ANONYMOUSLY from his seat at Washing
ton the chief Of the corruptionists ana
dragooners.
Orlook at New York. What became of
the fifty thousand majority given at the
election of 1872 for Gen DIX and the Repub
lcansl And whence came the fifty thou
sand majority Civ en- in 1874 10 GOV. TILDEN.
his Democratic opponent? Certainly out
OF the ranks Of the Republicans them
selves Cali them what you will. They
might not please to term themselves Lib
erdl Republicans, but they were mighty
independent Republicans, and excellent
REFORM Republicans, which for all practi-
cai purposes is precisely the same thing.
certainty the last thing that can be said
OF this body Of men in these two States
ma elsewhere IA well, either individually
or collectively, whether voting or not vot-
ING Is that they are Ineffective They are
In fact, the only effective voters of the
country 30 far rs general reform
ana revolution In Our politics are con-
osrhed' for they are the men who ac-
oomplish both. They are the mon who
o'iea' tho Republicans. and tho men to