New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-27


mded. unintelligcnt, and not exactly
honest. Caucus and convention. in the
eyes of these gentlemen, are far more veneer
able bodies than either tho Senate or the HOUSE,
They set up a fiction that the safety ana pros
perity Of the country depend upon the triumph
Of their side, which is half modest way or
saving that our salvation depends upon the
election of the gentlemen themselves Nothing
of course conld be more absurd. If, this morn
ing. we could take fifty Republicans out or the
House of Representatives and put in their places
fifty other Republicans who never were near"
of before ten miles from their homesteaus' inc
Uouse would be no better and 10 worse 1or tiic
change. Again. if the Republican party to-day
should cease to exist, should never hold announcer
coucus. should die tho death of the Federallsts
OF of the Wings, does anybody suppose tlat
tbo country would not get on tolerably well
WHY. nothing would be gone but name
and few catch-words and sew
eral ancient fuslcmcn, newspapers, ana
pensioners; tho people who make and
unmake parties would remain. Was MI
Bank,'s district obliged to go without Repre-
sentative because both the great parties proved
to be in minority there And what hap
pcned in a single district may occur through
out the whole country without any second
coming of chaos. The truth is while the pco-
ple always remain, there is nothing less GER
tain of pcrpetuity than party, or, to put 1t
in another way, there is nothing more certain
of dissolution. Where are the FederallstSf
the old .Jcilersonian or ,jacksOnian Democrats
the Birncyites! the Anti NlasonsY the WhSsY
thc Know Nothingsf the Barnbumersf the
Hard Shells Dead upon the field of honor or OF
dishonor, as the case may be. They proclaimed
that the land would go to destruction without
them; they announced themselves in possession
of the sole secret Of good government; they
arrogatcd to themselves all the talent, fore
sight, patriotism, honesty, and other the like
dclicacics Of the season. they canvasscd, APP
pealed, denounced. argued, and made every
canvass one long rampage. Sometimes they
were victorious and sometimes otherwise; but
the day came when they were neither, and
were in fact nothing. And where are they nOw7
Parties disappear; the people remain. Parties
are creatures; The people only are creators.
Parties are The product Of circumstances the
people always reserve the power OF changing
their minds, and any change may conslgn Il party
To Oblivion. If we take up file OF any political
newspaper twenty years old, what passionate
dmtribcs, what fierce dithyrambics, what typo
graphical agonies of enthusiasm do we DIS
cover We can remember when party news
paper on the morning Of clcCtion-day, not
merely in the rural districts but here in New
York. looked like a handful; and when it
always predicted IA the dire result OF the de-
feat oil its candidates seditlon, priyy conspiracy
and rebellion, plague, pcStlencc, and famine,
battle and murder, and all possible evil and
mischief The handbills were, so to speak,
convertible. Taken together, they did not give
the country lonesome chance.
We have had n century of politics of this
-ort, with many redecmlng intervals OF Iccu-
pciatiyc good sense, during which the people
have taken public affairs out OF the hands OF
mere politicians. Nobody who reads history
can doubt the decided Discrimination OF the
majority of American citizens To have any
thing to do with party which has ceased to
be Trustworthy and useful. The Republican
leaders profess to consider their party irwin
chile and immortal the Democrats profcsScd
to believe the same of theirs up to the time OF
the defeat of 1910, and subsequent successes
made them rs confident as ever. But there
always will come a time when postmasters,
collectors, committees and members OF Con-
grcss cannot save. The people are over all.
Their differences may be rcconcilcd. With
them a fusion of conflicting elements is always
possible Their allegiance is always temporary
and conditional; and the honorable member
who talks the most confidently IN Washington
about carrying his district in his pocket Is
usually the most terribly afraid of his con-
slitucnts. He too sautcs in his heart the
august majesty of the people,