New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-08
rrw WORK DAILY TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1880

minority together They must have something
to believe in, or pretend to believe u, II thoy
would gain votes and achieve success, ann 'his
they are hlindly cropping for. WHAT shall he
the next shibbocth Free Trade or Civil Ser
vice Reform The Free Trade issue seems I'M
practicable, since they put it IN their platform
at Cincinnati, and were first frightened INTO II
surrender and then beaten on it. Whether ihey
were bt aten on the platform or the reputation
OF 1t is of no consequence. II Is obvious enough
that il is no doctrine to make hopeful hght
on. And rs to Civil Service Reform, the orly
propositiOn they offer on that subject would
weaken, instead of stIeng thenng them, ny ue-
pIiying the party ct once of the active support
of the Office Srekers upon whom il chiefly relies
Here is n splendid organization bankrupt OF
belief or cause, cOhering only IN its traditions,
its name, and it's appetite, with just votes
enough to he tantalzed with its noarness 10
the public crib and a consciousness that 1t can
get no nearer unless it can find something 10
hang out in the way OF principle, doctrine, or
creed that will attract Ieinforcements. In the
Southern States they have very definite primer
pies but it happens, unfortunately, that the
avowal of them Is a source OF strength only
where they do not need 1t, while 1t weikchS
them where they most need reinforcement. AT
the North they have experimental IN ali dllec-
tons and always without success, for the reason
| that the party here is a combination OF men tor
selfish aims and not for political purpose
| They act and work together not because they
think and believe alike upon any current qnes-
| ton of politics. but because they have com
mon interest in securing spOlls to be divided.
BY this we do not mean that every person VINO
votes the Democratic ticket does so nom tne
hope OF office for himself; for many voters are
Democrats by birth, training, and hablt, ana
vote the ticket asking no questions many are
misguided; ana some honestly believe that a
change of the party in power would be bene-
fetal But the patty leaders and managers,
almost ithout exception, have selfish aims ana
solely for their turtberance, and not for any
political purpose, keep up the organization. The
fusion in Maine illustrated perfectly this state
of things. We have a constant illustration OF
if in this CITY. where a mans Democracy Is
never tested bv what he believes in, but simply
by what leader he follows. Here are factions
within the party almost without end, but they
differ only as to division OF the Offices; not as 10
any doctrine or policy.
And now Tor NallOnal purposes ihc1 CIV h""N
ing an issllr; more correctly, looking Tor a
mask. 1t is a strange spectacle ordinarily
parties grow out of some great emergency or
crgstalIze round some specific belief or definite
purpose. Thus the Republican party sprang
up and came into power because the men WHO
founded it had positive belief upon the qnes-
ton of the extension OF slavery and wcl-de-
fined purpose to resist it. The party grew M
around the idea it did not organize and 90
hunting for something to believe in and try to
accomplish But here is the great Democratic
party, Boosting its age and traditions, that Tor
twenty years has been hunting about Tor some
thing it could prOtitably pretend to believe IN.
II has tried It's hand mt everything that offered.
from declaring the Union incapable of sclf-Dre-
se1vation down to its adoption of the doctrines
of soft money and initiation, and has been sue
cessively driven from every position it has
taken OF all the pretenceS it has Dul forward
during the past twenty years, not one re-
mains. But he'e sill is the party, strong IN
discipline, organization, and machinery, and
still searching with lighted candles for some
reason Tor its being, other than its Unsuitable
hunger for Office. 1t has used up all the avail
able issues Hadn't it better disperse