The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-03-08
A DEMOCRATIC OPINION OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

InaG heterogeneous combination OF
miscellaneous and peculiar ice-hunters
called the ressurrected democracy has
gone all to pieces again. In fact never,
since it was called up from the political
grave yard by the scheme to make Sam
TIlden the national spoiIs dispensator,
has 1t ever been anything but an inco-
herent accumulation of disiointed frag-
ments-a collection of political dry
bones of all extinct party animals, out
OF which complete skeleton of any
kind could net be patched up. Though
assuming to have a maj ority of nearly
two-thlrCs In the national assembly, that
majority was made up of all the political
odds and ends of earth, Bourbons,
liberals, soreheads, grangers, protec-
-tionists, free traders, bullionists, rag
lunatics, Calhounites, men of every sort
and shade of political opinion, holding
utterly irreconcilable views, and agree
ing upon nothing but the appetite for
spoils, composed the absurd combina-
ton of old grave yard politicians that
attempted to impose themselves upon
the country as the democratic party
come back from the other side OF tie
Stygian river, with ali the sins done in
its lifetime ''burnt and purged away"
bearing new life, possessing reform
ed character, and having q new claim
Carefully concealed) to popular trust
and confidence.
Setting up enormous pretentiOns to
superior political virtue, this combina-
ton of inconsistent political humbugs
proceeded systematically i'll an attempt
to bamboozle the country into the no
ton that they were come to rascIIe the
nation from the vast army of official
thieves that were devoIlring If. They
held convention at St. Louis, yelled,
"Reform is necessary .''-selected 81
slippery New York politician to repre-
sent one kind Of principles and a facing
ALWAYS Indiana demagogue torepresent
several other kinds of principles, tied
two spawned political horses together
by the tails, set them canteripg III OPP
posite directions for the spoils. The
most surprising part of it is that upon a
programme of political humbug SO gre
tesque they actually got for their con
Trajectory candidates majority of the
votes. They were lawfully elected.
They were the persons constitutionalIy
chosen to the Office of president and
vice president. And it was completely
in the constitutional power of the re
surrected democrats, composing an al
most two-thirds majority of the repre-
sentative body, to appoint and install at
least the man who was SO constitution
ally chosen to the presidential Office.
But, notwithstanding these facts, the
resurrected graveyard politicians igno-
miniously surrendered after their victory
was won, and, craven poltroons, allow
ed defeated enemy to hold the posi-
ton he had lost.
The resurrected democratic party
humbug has gone all to pieces. 1t has
gone to pieces for the simple reason that
there was nothing to hold the illmatch-
ed parts together. There was no bond
of political purpose. There WAS only
q common desire to turn out the vast
army of officholders and put new army
in it's place. That was in reality the on.
ly purpose upon which the Tilden man
ayers were not agreed and never would
have agreed upon any programme of
governmental reform. The cry Of re-
form was mere blind. The spuils con-
stituted the only object Of their combin-
ed effort. Sam 1ilden gone, the spoils
were gone. No spoils could be hoped
for from Morton or any other president
a0 interim. When, therefore, Sam
Tilden dropped ont of tie possible re-
putrid Renaissance fell asunder. When
the prospect of official plumber disappear
ed with the last hope of TiIden's inau-
guration, nothing was left to hold the
conflicting spoils. seekers together.
The idea is held by some of these
busillanimous spoil seekers fhat by SUR
rendering to the ofceholders now, they
will be better able to overcome the pow
er Of the ofice-holding combination
four Years hence. The notion is idle
and Elusive. !; It is idle for any
democratic" spoils partisan to Indulge
in the belief that mere spells party OF
that name, or of any name, can elect q
president four years hence who viii
change the official class. It viii not be
done. : x = In the next house Of
representatives, the resurreoted spoils
democracy claim small majority, not
exceeding half a dozen; but the chances
are two TO one that the Hayes admins
tration will find way of reducing that
majority to a minority, and of control
ling the house as we'll as the senate. And
two years hence, if the resrrrected
Bourbon managers commit the folly Gas
they probably will) of attempting TO
keep up a mere spoils party opposition,
the chances are twenty to one that a
strong administration majority will be
returned to the house. Against any
party combination having no higher
purpose and no stronger bond of cohe-
sion than desire to change the official
class will henceforward prevail. The
true course Of political wisdom for the
again shipwrecked spoils democracy is,
then, to Immediately disband its organ
izati0n. which no longer exists as q
means as to any political end but only
as an fundamentally of futile and use
less contest against the official class for