The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-04-26
NOT HAPPY YET.

It Is melancholy reflection that the
average Democratic organ is not even
yet entirely happy. Notwithstanding
the fact that President Hayes is carrying
out the policy and adopting the measures
which a few months ago were said to be
the policy and measures OF the Demo
cratic party, there are yet draw backs to
their complete satisfaction. There's a
faint in the Presidents title to his office.
They cannot get over that. The sensi-
tive Democratic soul is constantly sad
dened by this thought. 1t is the theme
OF all his discourse The subject Of I'M
ceasing and painful meditation. But
few months ago he was racked with
anxiety for peaceful and satisfactory
solution of the Southern question. Il
was the burden Of his complaint, that
the Southern States were not INDUCED
in the blessings Of home rule nor grant
ed the right Of local self government.
He acclaimed passionateiy about it from
the stump and discussed it warmly in
the columns of the press. He was SO
earnest and so obviously unselish about
it that we had reason to believe he lived
only to see this boon granted his Sonth-
ern brethren, the troops withdrawn, and
good feeling restored, and that then he
would fold his legs under department
desk and attest upon the earliest pay
roll that, having seen the salvation OF
the Lord, he was willing, if not to de-
part in peace, at least To stay IN comfort.
Upon only one other subject did
he seem at all solicitous. He did
desire 10 see the civil service reformed.
Could he feel assured that the tests of
honesty, ability, and fidelity would be
applied in the selection of Government
80. I, of oIo
apportioned as rewards for party service
he would be content. He wanted the ser
vice purified andto accomplish twas will
ling to make any sacrifice, even TO hol-
ding an Office himself. With these ends
in view he wagged his patriotic chin
| through long campaign and voted at
least once for Tilden.
Though doomed to defeat in his choice
of a candidate, he has been happily dis
appointed in the policy and measures
adopted bv the President whose elect
ion he opposed. President Hayes is do
| ing all that the Democratic Eeformer so
| earnestly desired. Upon both the
| questions which the Reforn1er held to
| be of the most overshadowing impor-
lance, the President is acting just as he
said he would, and just as the Demo
cratic Reformer said lie had ought to
| but would not. Mr.. Iilden, had he
| been elected, could not have taken more
satisfactory steps for the permanent set
! Element of the Southern question; it is
doubtful, indeed, if lie could have ac-
complished nearly SO much or done it so
| well. And as to Civil Service Reform,
| Mr.. Tilden would have found such insr-
peruble obstacles in his way thaG il
| would be simply impossible for him to
| have succeeded in his whole term to
such an extent as President Hayes al
ready has. These things would natur-
ally fill the Democratic mind with en-
couragement and hope. There was SO
little of personal feeling and such. utter
self-abnegation in their campaign en-
deavors that there must have been
something like feeling of exultation
in their breasts when they first began to
discover that when the great and patri-
otto ends they sought in the election of
| Mr.. Tilden would be answered as well
or better in the success of Mr.. Hayes.
Knowing their patriotic devotion and
| spirit of self-sacrihce SO well, we can
easily imagine with what unalloyed sat
isfaction they contemplate the suspicious
though unexpected results Of the elec-
ton. Unalloyed, we say, except for the
one melancholy reflection to which we
have referred, that the Presidents title
is tainted. This depresses them. They
cannot bear that even the great reforms
they prayed for should be brought
| about by President upon whose title to
his office there rests the faintest shad-
ow. This keeps them down. Even
now they are not happy.-N. y Iri-
| 6aele,