The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-09-05
1T Is an act of tOrbearance 10
permit a Republican to live i'm the
SOuth.''
Our New York Letter
The New York Harlequinade-AnA Awk-
ward Predicament-lnierier Workings
efthe Machino-Democratic Divisisns-
Tiiden and ihe Income Tax,
NEW YORK Sept. 2, 1915,

Tfiden and ihe Income Tax,
NEW YORK Sept. 2, 1875.
Inc extraordinary performances of the New
York Democrats in their state convention this
week eclipse all previous harlequnades of that
amoidextrous party. Accustomed as our
people have been to see politics played like q
game OF hazard or feat of legerdermain very
few were prepared to witness such an open and
naive exposure OF the machinery and pullies as
was spread before their eyes last Thursday.
The nomination Of Ex-Gov. Seymour in spite
of bis protestatons that he would not accent
was perhaps the most ingenious method OF
escaping the consequences of choosing between
either of the two factious, whose dislike Of
each other is thing to be kept quiet if possible
till after election. But when it was found that
his refusal to run was peremptory and unalter-
able the effrontery of supprsssing this fact and
decevng the convention and the party was as
unparalleled as it was uDpardonable. The per
plexities which have ensued are amusing
enough to Indifferent lookers-on, but extremely
serious to those who are interested. The
Organs" utterly at loss what tune to play,
have been making most admirable discord.
Contradictory kilograms, asserting that he
would and that be would not accept, that be
had and had not declined have been chasing
each ether along the wires with such bewildsr-
ing profusion that people at last began to mar
vel why it wa, so dificnlt to get at the truth Of
matter so plain and simple. There is only
one explanation it. The situation Of affairs
is so critical that the Democrat, are at loss
to determine whether it will be less dangerous
to run their candidate against his will or sub
stitute another. If they succeed in solving
this knotty problem we shall have an authori-
tatiye announcement on the subject. At pres
ent their leaders are debating as to the course
they shall pursue in their grave dilemma.
They have got themselves into very awkward
predicament, and there is no way out of It that
is not hedged about with embarrassing obsta-
cles.
The view the whole proceeding has given the
public of the interior workings Of the Demo-
cratic organization Is instructive, nstwish-
standing it is calulated to impair popular faith
in the dignity Of human nature. 1t furnishes
clew to the motives which inspire the oppo-
sition. There are no great distinctive issues to
divide the parties. There is no policy of the
administration which its assalants dare to
attack. They coyertly combat its attitude In
respect to the finances, but in the eastern states
they perceive the danger of open warfare
against debt paying and resumption. They
are inimical in their hearts to the constitu-
tonal amendments, and the enfranchisement
of black citizens, but it does not answer for
them to admit it except at the South. They
have literally 70 tsnable ground whatever to
stand upon. There is not q measure Of the
government that has been enacted during the
last fifteen years that they did not con-
denim. They have made quadrennial confess
sioRs and recantation of past errors
ever since they were driven from power.
Everything that is good in their present pro-
fessious was borrowed from the Republican
creed, after it had been established by Repub-
lican ballots
Under what pretext then can this effste or
ganization, which went down In blood in 1861,
demand restoration to ascendency? Why
simply and solely upon the hollow, shallow,
transparent disguise OF superior honestly
They have the astounding audacity to assert,
not only that the Republicans are utterly cor
rupt, but that they are perfectly incorrupti-
BILE. The first proposition is monstrous libel,
the second a ludicrous imposture. Neverthe-
less this is the cry of thu campaign. Reform
has been talked about so much and proclaimed
from so many housetops that it has really lost
its lingual significance, and instead of meaning
correction of abuses has grown to be UNDER
stood as bit of political clap-trap, q quack
nostrun peddled by charlatans, that ouly the
most ignorant and credulous of dupes can any
longer be deceived by.
1t is not at all diff cult to divine the causes
which have occasioned the division In the ranks
of the New York Democracy, which has
brought them into their present entanglement
Gov. Tilden and his set are bent on conjuring
with the "reform" wand. They fancy that
since it has served their purpose so well in the
past there is magic power In it still Now and
then they catch some gudgeon, aud the noise he
makes about it and the noise they make about
him united in one chorus create din which
magnifies this conquest thousand fold. In
every Presidential canvass there is q little
handful of malcontents of each party who
announce their desertion to the enemy witk as
much JUNCTION as If they cherishe ed the delusion
that it was matter of the slightest conse-
quence to anybody but themselves. Generally
these are people who have been nourishihg
some grudge or grievance, that they have long
been waiting for a chaucs to air There are
besides class of weak-minded fellows, small
in numbers and feeble in influence, who "want
change" apparently under the impression,
as far as their mental vacuity is capable of an
impression, that the rulers of the nation are
responsible for deficient crops, losses by specu-
lation, or any of the other natural agencies
which produce hard times. 1t is evidently the
hope of Mr.. TIlden aud his immediate follow
ers to gather recruits from these sources. Hence
the continual iteration of their favorite watch
word reform" 1t is impossible to convince
them that 1t has grown mlsty by ceaseess
repetition, and that every sensible voter knew
from the beginning that it was never anything
but a mere make-beleve.
The other wing of the party eyince more
| sincerity and caudor by the persistence with
which they deprecate so open resort to Jesuit
| ry and humbug. They prefer the old fashioned
stand up fight with the lines distinctly drawn
between Democrats and Republicans. Their
experiences of coalitions are not at all pleas
ant, but when it comes to lowering their BAN
ner without the prospect of forming any profit
able alliance, their pride revots at the oonces-
sion. That is the secret Of their resistance to
the Governors demand that Dorsheimer should
head the ticket. That gentleman got the sec
ond ,place 10 1874 in the expectation that be
would bring in good deal of Liberal Repub-
licau capital. They found after the election
was over that they had greatly overrated his
strength. The number of Liberals in this state
has been tremendously exaggerated. Early in
the campaign of 1872, the chairman of
the state committee said they would not
diminish the Republican vote 1000.
thought he was wrong at the time, but the