New-York tribune., 1879-12-08
sectional quarrel that we have cause to dread
for that keeps rs two peoples
4 DEuoCRATIC BRAzEN SERPENT

/
with Divine Providence the whole party seems
TO have experienced change of heart, and the
leaders grow every day more fervent. They
draw upon the Scriptures for Illus
trations of the condition of the party
and find great comfort in running
parallels with the history of the chosen
people. There is something quite encourag-
ing in this unusual zeal to search the Scrip
lures 1t Will certainly do them no harm'
and even if they should derive from 1t
no permanent spiritual advantage, VINO
knows but they may have the luck of the old
woman who. while sarchng the Scrlpturs.
providentially discovered a lost iine-tooth
comb, the need OF which was beginning to be
felt in the family. Careful study OF the
history of the chosen people will, we are
confident, furnish them many parallels
for their own career as party, only they
will have to be very careful in the selection.
There seems to be just now, for instance, very
much such feeling in the party toward
Tilden, who led them out of bondage under
the banner of Reform, as there was toward
Moses just after the passage OF the kcd
Sea. This party too struck out immedi-
ately for the Wilderness of Sin" like
the ancient people, and their first
longing was for flesh pots. And they were so
eager and greedy when they got chance at
the official "quail on toast" that their effort
to gather in everything within reach anu lay
up political capital in store, ended as in
the Wilderness in the earlier time: 1t
"bred worms and stank." Then when they
have their calf-worship-not golden, to
he sure, but essentially calf-and set up
the gre, nback, how much the excuse
of Thurman and the other demagogues was
like Aaron's, when he said, Thou knowest
"He people. that they are set on mischief -
laid it all to " the people"
And now comes the Hon. II. Milton Spoer, a
PENNSYLVANIA ex-Congressman, who seems also
10 have bren searching the Scriptures III the
retirement of private lie and the businesses
of the interior and he bounding into Phia-
delphia like an uncondOning Becbe denOuncng
Fraud. says they must put up a brazen ser
pent-not for President. nor literally, but figu-
ratiyeIy. after the manner of Moses. Says he in
the car of a reportcr: "AS Moses lifted up
Z" brozen ,erpcnt for the children of Israel to
Gather round SO must we erect our standard
"for the Democracy of Pennsylvania to rally
"about.n Now Speer has evidently forgotten
that they tried the brGZen-Serpent business
once before, during the War" cOpperhead,'
they called it-and il did them no good what
ever This time, however, he proposes to
call General Hancock brazen serpent and
lift him up and rally round him. He makes
the proposition to number of " Democratic
"chiefs" in Pennsylvania, who have been
conferring lately upon the best means for
uniting the Democratic party in opposition to
Tilden's denomination. Now General Hancock
is an able man and handsome man, but he
has been growing corpulent lately, and he
yould not make graceful or becoming ap-
pearance on pole in the character of ser-
pent of brass. ANY one could tell Mr.. Speer
that. And it is not likely that Mr.. Speer
means to have him literally hoisted up. But
Mr. Tilden has been often called
snake in the grass" by the gentlemen who
voted for him in 1876, that Mr.. Speer, fresh
from his readings of Israetish history,
dropped 1uite naturally to the Mosaic treat
ment for snake bites, and proposed to cure
Tildenism by putting up Hancock in brass as
the antidote. Now all this is additional
testimony to the fact which TIE TRIBUNE
has heretofore called attention to, to w.t.
that defeat has made the Democrats uncom-
monty dcvout. They go ont of Congress and
commence SfdINulliS lht pNliptuiNH' hhh t"'J
continually find historic parallels for their
own career in the narrative of the wanderings
OF the chosen people.
But before they put mp Hancock or any
body else as a serpent of brass, we beg them
to consider the risk they run. There are
Democrats, great many of them. to whom
the snake as an emblem suggests too much.
Ii is related that San Francisco barkeeper
who had been presented with a picked snake
in bottle, set it up as curiosity behind the
bar The first customer who came In for his
"eye-oponer' next morning drank half his
cocktail. when, his eye lighting on the
new curiosity, he set down his glass and
fed. The next followed suit, and the
next and the next, and not one of
them returned. Tie bar was deserted and
the trade ruined. Toward night a stranger
came in, took a drink, and paid for it before he
saw the curiosity. AS his eye fell on it he
uttered Il profane ejaculation and started for
the door Look herep said the bar-keeper,
"rll just give you dollar to tell me what's the
"matter This things been going on just so all
"day, and I'm losing all my trade" son, moth
"ing's the matter" said the stranger, only
"yours is the first whiskey ever struck that
"made me see snakes with the first drink" The
barkeeper saw the point, and was not long
breaking up the museum. This only shows
that there's great uncertainty about snakes.
Mr. Speer and his friends would do well to
make sure as to the effect of it upon the
Democratic imagination before he puts up his
serpent.
TRADEMARK TREATIES
There is a suggestion that the treaty making