New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-07
THE NEW DEMOCRATIC RECRUITS.


THE NEW DEMOCRATIC RECRUITS
They may not succeed in getting Mr.. Tilden
into the White House and the party into
power. but it must be a great comfort to the
Democratic leaders to consider the number and
quality of the recruits they are gathering H.
A remarkable fine body of men they are.
Here go marching in just now Litteheld ana
Maddox converts and recruits, just so many
subtracted from the Republicans and added to
the ranks of the RefOrmers. Littlcfield seems
upon his own confession to be forger, ana
Moddox-it is difficult to define MaddOx-he is
the sort of person who buys and sells Return
ing Boards on broad moral grounds hese
two have abandoned the Republicans ana gone
over where they won't be so lonesome. ANA
we are glad to see that they are welcomed
ioyfully az new recruits. SO too, not long
ago, there was much rejoicing among Demo-
Gratis on the accession of Pinchback. When this
person went over he did SO with the confess
sion that the party with which he had been
acting, and with whose workings" he mas
been "familiar from its Inauguration down 10
"this date" "fOr corruption, venallty. ana
" dishonesty had not its equal anywhere on
"the face of Gods EARTH" and had not
81 from head to foot from center to circum-
"fcrence, an honest drop of blood in It," There
was not, to be sure, the same degree OF pleasure
exhibited by the Democrats in welcoming his
coming as by the Republicans III speeding MS
parting; but that could hardly be eX-
pected, for Mr.. Pinchhack had weighed very
heavily on his party for long time, and there
WAS a great sense of relief at his going. which
his new associates could not appreciate.
We are quite well aware that neither
political party rejects recruits. There are no
requirements, as in an army, touching age
size, weight, and physical condition, nor any
regarding moral character, reputation, etc. 10
IA political party als fish that comes to
its net. And it is interesting to OBJ
serve what transformations of character are
brought about by political changes Here
is Mr.. Pinchback, who but few weeks
ago was, in the opinion OF the Dem
Ocratic press generally, very bad and mis-
chievous man, so corrupt and dL3rcputable
that he tainted the whole organization with
which he acted, and it was a disgrace almost
TO belong to the same political party with him.
The only thing that saved the disgrace IN
fact, was the rcsolute and persistent refusal OF
the party to give him c0untenance and sap
port. There was limit beyond which
The present Republican Senate would not 90,
and that was found when Pinchback stood
at the door and asked admission. There was
no Democrat but held Pinchback to be thor
oughly corrupt and bad. Since the transfer
cnce~ of his allegiance to that party, however.
he seems to have suffered a sea change into
something rich and strange. In the twinklinS
of an eve he has become I" the Hon. i. i. >.
" Pinchback to those who little while ago
knew lin only as " the darly Pinchback." SO
we presume would any of the Louisiana Re-
turning Board or any Of the Packard Lcgisla-
tire become at once gentlemen beyond ques-
ton by q simple change of politics, even though
the change were brought about in so question
able manner a. by purchase and sale.
The Republican party has some very ragged
edges. There's q fringe on il, loosely caught
but always futtcring and always conspicuous,
that the better portion of the party have
neither utilization nor sympathy with. aud
would like to be rid Of These fellows are Al
continual scandal and disgrace. Democrats
constantly point to them specimen Republi-
cans and make the most of their misdOngs by
way of party capital. But isn't it little re-
markable that the bad character of these fell
lows, which il so conspicuous and glaring while
they remainOn the edge of the Republican organ
ization, not only ceases to offend when they go
over to their own place, BAT actually becomes
almost sweet and clean by comparison with
the Ovcrpowering badness of the mass into
which il fallsg Loose methods aud bad leader
ship, and the recklessness that comes Of power
long left unrestrained, have wrought great mis-
chief in the Republican organization; but the
respectabilIty, purity, and honesty of the
masses of the party are such that
the prominence of corrupt men in it is
recognized BY the public as if by instinct
to be utterly IncOngruous and absurd. Nor
should the readiness the cagernesS, in fact,
with which the Democrats gather into their
own fold the disreputable characters whom
they have denounced Republicans for having
any dealings with, be passed without COM
ment.
We had a very notable instance OF this
in South Carolina. No part of the machinery
of fraud, by which the Ring conducted opera
tions and managed so long to keep control of
the State. was more vigorously denounced than
the Judiciary, of which Chief-Justice Moses
was the head. Ii was only few months ago
that Gov. Chamberlain was receiving what
seemed to be very hearty and sincere
Communications from Gen. Wade Hamp-
ton and his supporters for the manly
and courageous stand he had taken
against the Ring, and especially against the
election of Moses and Whipper to the bench.
But it happened in the division into factions
that followed that the Democrats found an
opportunity to gather in the very worst OF the