New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-11-13
TIE CEN7RIL LDE1 IN TIVV1yT.

THE CENIR1L IDEA IN TiVh1NI.
There seems to be a radical difference of
opinion between Mr.. Tilden and Tammany
Hall as to what the former calls the central
idea of the Democratic party. Mr.. T1!dcnS
notion is that the Freebooter Of the Tow Path
uttered great moral and political truth when
me said, as the nigh mule planted a hOOf in his
stomach and kicked him into the canal, "The
"wOrld is governed TOO much" He believes that
opposition to too mach government is the cen
tgal idea of the Democratic party; that what
the party aims at is to restrict TO the minimum
all the powers Of the Government, and leave
the individual citizen in tne exercise OF the
| largest liberty and subject to the least re-
stliction and discipline compatible with
the welfare Of the State and the general
good. Without di,puting the general pro-
position that this theory of the legit-
innate functions of government and their
reasonable limitation is the correct one,
The TRIBUNE has, Oh previous occasion, in
tmated doubt a. to its beng actually the
central idea of Mr.. Tllden's party, though ad-
hitting that it was quite likely the central
idea of Mr.. Tiden himself. The failure of
the party, upon occasions when it had the OPP
pOrtunity and the power, to illustrate any such
theory in its practice; not only that, but its
manifest disposition to carry out the very
opposite view of the functions and sphere of
Government, led us to the conclusion that Mr..
TIlden had made the not uncommon mistake
among political leaders of projecting his own
belief as the creed of the party. The history
Of the party for the past twenty years fails to
furnish a single instance in which, when it
has had any hand III governing, it has been
ruled by any such central idea. The expert
ence Of all communities which have enjoyed
its supremacy has been that it governed just
as much as it could, with as many officials and
at as large a cost.
The latest illustration Of the fallaciousne3s
Of Mr.. Tidcn's theory on this subject comes to
us from what we suppose may b. considered
the very highest Democratic AUTHORIZATIONS
many Hall. Tammany Hall NOT only favors
strong government, and a great deal of it, III
the state, but it applies the same principle to
the regulation OF its own internal affairs as a
political organization. Instead of putting
any limitation or restriction upon its
own powers, and conccding the largest
liberty to the individual. which is, according
10 Mr. Tilden, the central idea of Democracy,
it assumes to regulate the minutest details of
political conduct Oh the part of it, members,
and to hold the individual responsible to the
association for all his political acts Under
Tammany Hall the individual has no free
dom of political action. In that con-
Germ, any deviation from the viii of the
"Boss" is followed by discipline Of the mos.
rigorous character, and whoever refuses ODE
dicnce i, expelled. The first business after an
election is TO hear complaints of dIslOyalty"
against members of the organization who have
voted according to their individual Judgments,
instead of blindly obeyins the orders OF
the Boss" These eases are referred to COM
mittccs Of investigation, and he offenders
if found guilty, are subjected 10 discipline
This is the way Tammuy cvempliics
It's devotion to the central i3el. At tie meet
ing last Saturday, those two eminent opponents
Of the central dea, Colonel Edwin l.. GauI
and General Francis b. Spin,la. preferred
charges against sundry members of the organ
izati0n who, as thcy alleged, had dared vote
against Augustus Schcl for Senator, and had
helped elect John Mouisscy. Both these
candidates are Democrats They do not differ
as we understand, upon any essential princi-
pie of the party, if any such there be. They
certainly agreed upon the cardinal article