The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-01-14

| brought to state OF doclity that made them
ready to shout faye" whenever their file-leader
| gave the signal.
Now this string of whereases and resolveds
were of no earthly importance in them
selves. Bot they were herslded all over
the country as the voice Of the people Of the
metropolis. The noise they created was in lu-
dierous contrast to the insigniicance of their
origin. They produced no effect at home The
Republicans Of the Empire State paid no heed
20 them. They did not cause man In her DEL
egation to the National Convention to wayer in
bis choice. They probably occasioned some
temporary perversion Of the public mind In dis
tant communities. That was the object Of
them, at any rate, and the abettors of
the scheme must have felt a momentary
satisfaction as they bent their ears to lis
ten to the reverberation of their pretentious
proclamation.
However, 1t is not on account Of any evanes.
proceedings as these that they are TO be depre
Gated. From that point of view they are not
worth moments consideration. The objec-
tion to them lies deeper than that. They tend
to impair the influence of the Club and make
it an object of ridicule and contempt. They
have generated and fostered q weak-mipded
and garrulous class of members, who rather
pride themselves on being too high-toued to
have any active sympathy with the Republic
eau party-fellows who sffect a style which is
cross between Sir Charles Coldstream and
Lord Dundreary, and think 1t quite the
genteel thing to lisp in q drawling sort
Of their 81
politics in general and to politicians in par
ticalar. They are especially hostile to any
man who never betrayed his party. To them
treachery is the synonym of independence.
Their moral ideas have become so utterly con-
fused and distorted that they regard everybody
whose fidelity to bis political convictions is uu-
falteripg as the creature of "machiue." And
1t is only when they can find some person who
has backed and filed, twisted and turned,
shirked and lodged, paltered aud shufled till
he has illustrated all the possibilities of incon-
sistepcy and vacillation, that they give their
hearts to him, lift him on pedestal and point
to him as their beau ideal of virtue and excel
lenee. Strangely enough they are not i'll inten.
toned people either. Apart from their GRO
tesque notions about politics they are as free
perhaps from Objectionable qualities as the
average of their species. But on that point
they are in state of hopeless .bswilderment.
portion Of them-mainly those who have not
got beyond the period Of callow Adolescence
are somewhat afflicted with snobbery and occs-
sopally display it by combining to black ball
some honest and thrifty young man whose
necessities or inclinatious have impelled him
to earn his own livelihood by following some
useful occupation instead of living on his
parents or relatives Ike a first. class society
SWELL But these are unImportant exceptions.
The majority even of those whose proclivities
almost invariably lead them to erroneous, con-
clusions 10 respect of public meu aud public
measures, are shrewd in business, upright In
character and of irreproachable moral standing,
and on any other subject except that which
concerns the control OF State Affairs, they are
sensible enough. When they get into that
line their reasoning faculties fall into state
of suspended animation.
1t seems lately to have occurred to some Of
the members that 1t would be just as we'll to
make an effort to infuse new life into the Club
by putting 1t on plane with the rest Of the
universe. At any rate when the time came for
selecting . committee to nominate officers
there was sn unusual stir and sharp contest
1t became apparent before 1t was over thata
new element was coming to the front aud with
a determination and concert that sugured Inn
important results. The successful tickle, was
composed Of men whose object in selecting
Candidates was likely to be TO put check upon
the namby-pambyism and effeminscy which
had so completely enervated the moral force Of
the organization. The list they finally pre-
tempt to defeat It, The opposition spent itself
in contesting the choice of the nominating
committee.
The most significant feature Of the new
movement, was the election of Hamilton Fish
to be President Of the Club. It was not an
easy matter to persuade!this gentleman to sc-
cept. The measure OF his amb ton must
have been full to repletion when he retired
from his eight years of service as prime minis
ter under the splendid administration of Gen.
Grant, but MI. Fish Is generous enough to make
a sacrifice Of personal comfort to promote q
good object. He was the man of all others to
take the lead at this juocture. He represents
as perfectly as any man in our community can
the principle that steadfast fealty to party is in
no sense inconsistent with absolute purity of
His public life, blameless aud hon.
orable In all other respects, is distinguished BY
the browning merit, that there has been no
shadow Of turning it from the allegiance with
which every man is as much bound In honor
and good faith to adhere to the party
as the christian Is to his church or the citizen
to his country. The formal abandonment of eith-
er for cause, is right that Is nalienabe and un-
disputed But whoever Processes Q creed or en-
joys the protection of Government is under
sacred obligation of fidelity to them. 1t Is be-
cause MIR. Fish has always lived up to this
should be placed at the head of body that
bas at times failed lamentabiy in the obser-
vance of the duties of citizenship. BE is an
excellent specimen of the kind of stalwsrts to
whom the leadership Of the Republican party
must be restored If 1t Is to recover its pristine
vigor and prowess.
The expectation is not an unreasonable one
that under the new administration the Union
League Club may regain the place in public
consideration to which il is entitled In virtue of
its Numerical strength and benefcent aims;
that it will no longer waste its energies 10 the
petty discussion of inconsequent topics; that 1t
will not sacrifice its self respect by sanctioning
covert and sinister ATTACKS on statesmen
who are entirely worthy of public conf
dence; that iippsncy will give place to dignity
in its criticisms upon those who have direction
of affairs, and that its voice, whenever
it is heard in the land, will carry weight
as ths expression of opinions formed after
mature deliberation and rejecting the ssnti-
ments of an undoubted majority and not the
idiocrssies of busy clquss and uneasy factions.
YARMOUTH
News and Other Items.
Ex-Secretary Dslano Is recovering.