New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-09
cIL1Lnll1N RIRNNM-

that the experiment VIII DC IeheWeu soihe
day, under more favorable circumstances.
CHAIRMAN BIRA UM.
The chairman of the Democratic National
Committee may be, and We think is, receiving
from certain Of his associates more than his 1alr
share of the blame for the party 5 defeat.
TIE TRIBUNE has already taken OCCASION to say
that TO no one man or 0i-an OF committee, nor
any one blundCr or series or campaign OF blum
ders can tue result bc attrbutcdj but that II
belongs rather to the finally -found-Out pure Gus
sedness of the whole party as illustrated III It's
record. To Mr.. Banum as political leader be-
longs the blame and the shame of contributing
TO the development of the organization now
known as the Democratic party, and OF making
il lust what IT Is. But he is no more responsible
for it than thousands o. Others who, III one
capacity and another, have helped hold it to-
gethet, and assisted rather Than attempted TO
check the process of ITS dcmoralizl ton. The
special complaint now made against him 10y
his political partners Is not that his methods
were dishonest and indecent, and ms conduct
of the canvass miSchievous and reckless, but
simply that he was not sl arp enough TO escape
detection. and failed through the tinnsincss of
bis devices. he is blamed because his deccits
were clumsy, not because they were wicked.
Herein we defend INN. As an individual he
only helped with thousands more 10 make the
party. In his representative capacity as the
Chef executive officer of the campaign, the
party made him, and is solely responsible for
bIm. He is its product its perfect develop
mcnt. lie knew It's constituent clements, It's
aims, its purposes, its bankruptcy OF principle,
its passionate hunger. lie knew, too, that The
party arsenal could furnish INN honest,
manly weapons for the fight. such rs he had
he used-SandeT, falsehood, and forgery. If
his methous ere a mistake, it was the fault OF
the patty that shut him up to them
Moreover, Mr.. Barnum knew that the party
knew him. lie had been tor thirteen years in
public lite. lie entered Congress In 1867 with
the reputation of having purchased his seat 10y
such bribery and corruption as had never been
known before in Connecticut, aud he never sat
III either House except by virtue OF a dcbauched
constituency and corrupted franchise. SO well
known was he that his name carried with II his
character as a politician, and grew 10 be a synO-
nym for the methods by which he became and
continued prominent. Nor had nc in bis
public career done or said anything 10 turn at
tenuon from this cause and source OF his HOtO-
nety. Unknown from any public utte.ance On
the floor of House or Senate-frOm bOth OF
which he was, during his terms of sClYlce Ie-
peaiedly and pT0lOngcdy absent-he WAS still
famous famous not Tor what he did there, but
tor now he got there. Men called him smart"
he was. That lll-deGned word indeed scarce
does HIM Justice. lie rather Eliminates the
word an makes 1t plethora with significance.
no IN a If - ~
ton he knew beyond question Tor what he was
admired. If Mr.. lilden called hun III to assist
in running a campaign, he knew, without ask
ing what Mr.. Tilden desired OF him. As when
physician With a closely defined speciality
knows the coming trouble when his dCOr-bell
rings 50 Mr.. Barnum, well advertised in his
line, conscious Ot his fame, and confident III lis
methods, did not need, yhen caIIed 10 serve his !
party, to PROFOUND question or to feel his |
patients pulse Ills patty knew him and his
specially, and that he had but Il SIN lie line of |
practice. He, too, knew the meaning of the |
call. He haG done nothing III all lis public life |
to leave that ambiguous.
And so be used his weapons and did his work.
They were cowardly weapons and it was dry
work and the end was disastrous failure, us
it deserved to be. 1t was not his fault
alone the canvass with all its filth and false
hood was the fruit, rotten-ripe, of Democratic
tendencies and practices, and the whole party is
responsible for 1t. Mr.. BaInum and his con-
freres have at least the melancholy satlsiaction
(f having exhausted the party magazine If all
the ammunitit that WAS left them before they
were driven fro IN TIE field No doubt they
have dc ne much mischief, the consequences
# which will remain for IA long time still, they
have failed III much more that they plotted let
lls be very thankful for that. They have made
some ignorant people believe that the President
elect of the Nation is q dishonest man, that he
has been briDed for a patry sum. that he has
peTjured himself, ana that be is such disrepu-
table and unworthy person that his candidacy
was an lndecency and his election "a lasting
shame. All this while they themselves know
better They have sunk craftsmanship to lower
depths than have ever been reached before:
a great many OF their Ignorant followers have
indirectly melted bloodshed and riot by appeal
inc 10 race prejudice and cannishDess and the
passions of the mob and by every means pos
sIble have corrupted and debauched public !
eutIuent and debaSed the standard of political
morality and common deceGcy. 1t il not GER
tain that they have yet finished their course
They are still to decide whether they can
afford 10 Il fife further with the patience Of the
public by an attempt to subvert the popular
will upon some pettifogging technically or cry
Of fraud The great consolation OF it all is that