The New York herald., 1878-11-03
B.a Manners 4. Politics.


clique; its aim is to deal with political
questions as with all others from the stand
point of the public and general interest, to
make manifest the truth, and thus to en-
able the public to judge for itself "Ihe
people, rightly instructed, will always vote
right" said Mr.. Lincoln, and the duty OF
independent journals is to thus fully
and honestly inform and instruct the
people, regardless of partisan interests.
Naturally, the journal which faithfully per-
forms this duty incurs the hostility OF par
tisans; it cannot hope to please either side,
and it is pretty sure to be misrepresented,
as in the present case some Of our amlable
but over-zealous partisan contemporaries
have limited that the HERALD was support
ing Tammany Hall, while others have sug-
gested that we were misrepresenting Mr..
Cooper and the strange partners in the sim
gular political combination which he repre-
sents. Of course this is not correct. We
have simply aimed to strip the con-
test of the pretences in which it was
enveloped, so MS to enable the voters to
decide for themselves next Tuesday, not
on false issues, but with the truth plainly
before their eyes. Whatever partisan jour
nails may pretend the people, we are conf
dent, have understood us.
During this contest, as during many pre-
ceding ones, the attempt has been made to
mislead the public by cunning articles and
misleading issues. 1t is the peculiar curse
Of reform movements that designing and
unscrupulous politicians always strive to
gain possession Of them 50 soon as they
promise success Their aim is to gain
personal and political advantages to
themselves by adroitly placing them
selves at the head Of popular move
ment and giving voice to what they believe
to be popular impulse. The present
combination" began, as we have repeat
edly pointed out, as genuine popular
movement. AS such it was supported and
urged by the HERALD with zeal which
gave it such strength as to show the poll
ticians that it possessed the promise of
success There was a real, genuine and
strong demand for city ticket which
should secure for the city an admins
tration independent of the professional
politicians-such an administration as the
election Of Mr.. Bonner would undoubtedly
have formed. To this object the HERALD
gave much time and space, and it so far
helped to give form and momentum to the
popular impulse that if a really indepen-
dent man could have been found to accept
the nomination for Mayor there is little
doubt he could have been elected by gen.
eral popular uprising.
Unfortunately, when this movement had
got to certain stage it fell into the hands
of stealthy but not altogether invisible po-
litcal intriguers, who determined to use it
for their own purposes. They took up the
cry for reform; they adopted all the watch
words Of the movement; and when we saw
this we dropped it, because to support the
movement any further would have been to
act not in the public interests, but in those
of one set of partisans against another
This was not our object. We objected, for
instance, to the one-man power in politics;
but we did not mean by that the substitu-
ton only of another man; and If the change
offered us is only Of one man for another,
if it is not change of system, but
only the substitution Of one politician for
another as the ruler under the old sys-
tenn, it belongs to the people to decide
whether they think it best to make this
change. 1t is our duty to point ont to
them what the politicians propose.
Meantime we were in hopes that the cam
vass would be conducted in an orderly and
hut ~
have been disappointed. To be sure, there
has been so far in the canvass less per-
sonal vituperation than in previous
contests Of the kind, and this
is hopeful sign; but as election
day draws near we notice the usual ten
dency of each side to try to persuade the
public that the other side are all unmiti-
gated rascals or idiots. These things
however, have ceased to have any effect on
the public mind. The American voter ex-
poets with the utmost confidence that on
election morning if not before, he will be
solemnly assured by each party that the
other has taken its whole ticket with
impartial hand from the State Prison and
the lunatic asylum; and he has
made up his mind beforehand that
neither side is worth moments
attention. These stale political tricks,
therefore, we should not think worthy OF
notice nobody will believe that Mr.. Schell
basely robbed the Manhattan Bank any
more than that Mr.. Cooper hired the bur-
glars who did it with the base design of in
turing Mr.. Schell. But there have been one
or two attacks on character of which it is
worth while to speak, because they are in
excusable we mean those made on Mr..
Cooper, the combination candidate for
Mayor, and on Mr.. Bedford, the 1ammany
candidate for City Judge.
No reputable citizen would like to give