The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-12-15
Democratic Boston.


Boston is straight Democratic city. At
ter four years of "non-partsan" government,
the Democrats, with the aid of some Repub-
licans and the prohihitionists, elected their
mayor and carried the city government in all
branches by large majority. So long as
they were in minority they were in favor of
citizens movements and a non-political man.
agement of municipal affairs. Now that, by
aid OF their Republican dupss, they
have enough strength they have aban-
doned their high toned position and have be-
slowed upon the city Democratic govern
ment pure and simple, and Boston may be-
come formidable rival Of New York in illus.
trating the beauties of Democratic rule. The
Republicans Of Boston are probably now re-
minded that 'when one sups with the Devil,
he gets the most soup who has the longest
spoon" The result is exactly what was TO
be expected. The independent politics" of
Massachusetts is having its perfect work; the
Republicans of Boston who have been too
nice for hearty, honest and earnest work for
their party will be chastened by Democratic
supremacy for while, and it may do them
good. The clan of professed Repub-
licans who have been too fine for
any party, too fine for any caucus
too fine for anything sublunary--will now
have chance to see ''reform" Democracy in
power by their aid. Anywhere else they
might learn from such lesson that it is better,
if they love good government, to do yeoman
service within the party; if the caucus is not
what it should be, to go to the caucus and
make it better-if the convention be not pure,
to send good Republicans to the convention
and purify it, and, if Butlerism be too much
in power, to see that their own skirts are
cleared by faithful effort to give the more
reputable elements of the party-a vast ma
jority-ascendency in its counsels. Indis-
criminate boiling and berating of its own
men and measures are not good ways for
party to attain the grand desideratum of both
purity and Succession purity without sue
cess is practically useless, and success with
out purity is worse.
The worst Of this bad business Is that the
offensive pretensions of these toploftical citi-
zens, who claim monopoly of all the virtues,
have induced a strong and depiorable reac
tion in favor of Butler. The Boston political
snob makes Butler possible, and between the
two, strong and healthy Republican action is
impeded and well-nigh prevented. Of course
the great mass Of the Republicans of Boston
are honest and earnest men who are trying to
do good work for their city, state and nation
in practical, sensible, decent manner. They
are unfortunate in the companonship of a
considerable number of doctrinaires-politi.
clans on stills, so lofty that they cannot see
the living facts of politics, but dwell serene in
a cloudland of dreams and fancies-men fifty
represented by Richard H. Dana who wrote
himself down the political ass of the centu-
ries at Cincinnati last summer. There may
sometime be in Massachusetts, rational, SEN
sible, human political action removed alike
from Butlerism and Danaism; the present
era is evidently unfavorable to such action.