New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-13
TILE HORRORS .OF PARiTSANSHIP.

Florida case by the Electoral CoIhIiisSioh'
The Democratic mind is detected over 1t 10 a
degree that makes it almost unrecognHable.
II secms incredible that the melancholy per-
sops who are wringing their hands, and the
;rosc,ble persons who are grating their teeth
over the dreadful exhibition of partisanshlp
in the Commission, are they who last summer
werebearing banners, torches, and transparcncies
for Tilden and Reform, and who only a
few DAYS ago were jubilant over the prospect
Of n thoroughly judicial and impartial decision
Of the election dispute by nOn-partisan trl-
bunal. And yet it is hardly to be wondered at
that these persons take their disappointment
TO heart in just this desperate, lnconsolaoie
WY. For it must be borne In mind that
they had built up largely on the Ger
ta;ntv of success in the election, and had
discounted to an unusual degree their
prospects and hopes. They looked upon
The election of Mr.. Tildcn as foregone
conclusion and counted their own entrance upon
the duties of reforming the Government IRON
the inside as delayed only by The Formally or
SIGNING the commissions. The disappointment
WAS g1ieyous, of course. And what made st
worse was the fact that nothing but the
grossest partisanship hindered the cOnsumma-
tion of their plans and the qualification OF
their desires. 1t is this that attracts our SYM
pathy-the sweet reasonablencss of their
nosition. For they have asked nothing from
the outset except that partisanship be LAID
aside.
The attitude OF the Democratic party III this
regard for the past two or three years has
been exceedingly striking and noble. 1t has only
asked its opponents to lay aside partsanship
and vote the Democratic ticket. Could any
thing he more reasonablef And yet this ap-
peal, made with such consistency ana urged
with such strenuOusness, was not responded to.
Hundreds of thousands of Republicans through
ont the country listened to these earnest en-
treaties of the friends of Tilden and Reform
to fee themselves from craftsmanship and
vote the Democratic ticket, and delib-
eritely refused to do it. Here was
the example of the entire Democratic
party, and here were the solicitations OF Demo
cratic newspapers and the exhOrtatiOns and
warnings of Democratic statesmen, all united
in urging the duty Of patriotism to lay aside
partsanshp; and all in vain. This in itself
was discouraging enough. In some of the
Southern States, however, the refusal OF cOlored
voters to take nOn-partlsan view OF politics
was continued until Democratic patience was
exhausted and more vigorous measures were
instituted. Under the operation of these the
evils of partisanship were so mitigated as to
give the non-partisans who supported Tildcn
and Reform an apparent majority on the face of
the returns. Still there were partisan Returning
Boards to canvass the votes; and the suspicion
gaining ground that these boards would take
partisan view of the case and enforce the
laws which had been violated in the interests
of non -partisanship, several eminent Democrats
were commissioned to labor with the members
of the Returning Boards and induce them to
lay aside partisanship. In some cases as high
as 100000 were offered a single member just
to lay aside partisanshp and vote for Tilden.
Nothing could more fOrcibly illustrate the evils
of craftsmanship and the blind hold it has upon
its victims than the refusal of this person to
Law it aside for any sum less than 100000
This had the appearance OF corruption and OF
course was refused.
The disinterested appeals of Democratic
statesmen were everywhere disregarded except
III Oregon. In that State, Gov. Grover, being
a Democrat, rose above partisanship with
comparative ease and issued his certificate of
election to a truly nOn-partisan elector by the
name of Cronin, who had only been hndercd
of an election by the lack of votes caused by
the refusal OF Republicans to rise above parii-
sanship. CrOnin, divestng himself of the last
vestige of partsanship, organized himself into
an Electoral College by voting in two Rcpub-
leans to act with him, and gave one electoral
Unt RON n Isan rti-
san basis for Tden Yet this solitary source
of comfort to the on-partSans bids fair to
be taken away, for it seems probable
that the present partisan Tribunal will refuse
to recognize Cronin as an electOr merely be-
cause he had MT votes enough, and will admit
the vote of Watts the candidate of partisan
majority. Here was enough certainly to dis
courage the most persistent advocates; but the
energetic opponents of partisanship did not
stop here. When Congress assembled they
said "The Senate is partisan body and pre-
sided over by a person who would not lay
partisanship aside long enough to vote for
"Tilden and Reform. Ii would conse-
"quently be suDversiye of justice if the
"prccedent under which the President
"Of the Senate opens and counts the
"votes should be regarded. We ask then
"that the opening and counting be done in
"such manner that the House, which has
"non-partisan majority in favor of Tilden and
"Reform, shall have the decision of this whole
"ouestion in its own hands" VIII it be be-
lieved that the Senate was unwilling to lay
aside partisanship and comply with this reason
able request7 1t was and the partisan ma
iority even said that the proposed plan was
unconstitutional and revolutionary. Such are
the extremes to which men are driven by par
tisanship.
A. la.4 4l,o Donnncrnfa In Cnnnronn On 40. e..