New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-17
q .ATTENrloM HANcOcKl Sill!

| Our Democratic friends are apparently pos
scssed OF a mortal fear lest their candidate
should give way to his tongue--Or pen-and let
| himself loose upon expression. Early and late,
in season aud out of season, they keep saying to
him S-h-h Don't say word! Beware the
interviewer! Throw away the ll-bottle and
forswear the pen" He has no civil record
to speak Of; the one be made in Louisiana is on
a spent ISSUE and it is always dangerous for a
Democratic candidate to commit himself on
any current question. SO agile an acrobat as
Hendricks got badly damaged by fooing with
the financial question four years ago and even
that careful procrastDator, Tildeu, wounded
| himself fatally with a c0dicil on Southern war
! claims. These things our Democratic friends
! sadly remember. And they remember, too,
what havoc the present Congress made with
| Democratic prospects whcn 1t allowed its
! large cxUbcTant mouth to flow at the extra ses.
sion. Experience has taught them the wisdom
of silence; silence even when at THEN best,
with their cunningeSt leaders at the front, and
all things in their favor; silence much more
with Hancock at the top of the ticket English
at the bottom, and the tide running strongly
against tn IN. Hence their constant Sinh r.
They know their candidates. and know how
necessary it is that they should both give their
whole minds to holding their tongues.
Ii was Mr.. Samuel Cox who, during a discus
sion of political questions at the last session, in
which Republicans spoke freely and Democrats
had the cunning to say nothing, disclosed the
ill-hunt programme in the taunt addressed to
General Hawley: Does it hurt you much to
"kick at notlingr The irrepress bic Cox
could not fOrbear indulgence in the forbidden
luxury of slack-jaw to this extent. The plan
now is to keep the party, and especially the can
lidates, from furnishing anything for the Op-
position TO kick at. 1t is a remarkable fact,
however, that with all Their care and precau-
ton aud all their experience Of putting their
L" foot in it " whenever they open their mouths,
they do blunder into speech, and invariably
to their own disadvantage. This was the case
with Mr.. George TicknOr Curtis mt the Tam
many Fourth July celebration. General
Preston. of Kentucky followed suit in a speech
az Louisville which was 50 very frank that his
party organs did not dlIe publish it. Mr. Nelson
j. Waterbury. of this city. came in little later
with an interview that the Republican press is
circulating widely. and Senator Mcdonald, of
Indiana, soon after gave away" the party in a
notable speech at the Manhattan Club. These
are only stray specimens of their folly. Be-
fore the campaign is over we shall have the
stump fairly alive with them.
The truth is, the rhetoric of the party press
and orators all revOlyes around the grand and
historic old party v; the orators aud newspapers
would be dull and dreary without the we'll |
turned periods touching the past of Democracy ; |
and these things, no matter how finely they |
sound, will not bear analysis. They have moth |
ing but historic name, and the history itself is |
damning. They are handicapped with record |
that il respectable IN nothing but its age. and |
its age is not that of old wine which ripens but |
Of the fish which Oflends the sense Moreover.
their candidate does not fit the record, and they
are obliged either 10 forget the candidate when
they bTag of the record. or overlook the record
when they praise the candidate. The absolute
necessity for silence 10 these confusing circum-
stances is so plain and patent that the way
faring orator, though loaded to the muzzle with
phrases ought to be able to see
the mistake of permitting himself to go of.
The beautiful thoughts concerning the historic
party and the fires of Democracy on the atars
OF the country are boomerangs.
Still, there's a letter 10 be written two in
fact-One 10y Hancock and one by English. That
is necessity of the situation, and under the
circumstances horrible necessity. General
Hancock has refused to answer questions con-
ceIning the Surratt matter; has steadily held
his tongue regarding the Badly Smith story
that he was ready to recognize Tilden as Presi-
dent in 1877, which procured him the nomna
ton; and has strenuously avoided committing
himself any subject more important than
the weather. But he must write letter of
acceptance; and he will be expected to say
something in it. The party organs arc shout