Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-02-19
A Political POrpoise.

A Political POrpoise. .
The Mem Era's readers must be very n
set if they are not distresseu d
# the everlasting failures Of its persis. q
amt efforts to carry water on both shoui- l
aers It is agreeable to us, as observers
not particularly interested in the ne"
Ero to watch the gyrations which ac.
company its perpetual acrobatism' anu
to wonder at the contortions which our
knowledge of physical and morai
laws advises us can have but one result
Nobody ever did ride two horses at one
time for any considerable period "lthOu'
coming to grief and this lmpossipie
feat is not just exactly what the We"
Era essays. 1t rides the two horses, Dat
at different times; which is not hard 10
do. But its popularity consists IN lts
steady endeavor to persuade its readers
that it never mounted but one.
As they are not all probably, as stupid as
owls, some of them must recognize the
deceit and it does seem to us that this
must distress them, if they really have
any regard for the newspaper they take
and read as they are supposed to have,
else they would not have it about their
houses. And those who do not clearly
see the fraud must yet he bothered by the
repeated presentation of Mr.. Geist on
nags of different shades of color at dlf-
ferent times while reading his calm ana
solemn asseverations that he never rode
but one animal, and never faced but one
yay.
1t is fun to us to see the circus eXhibl-
ton the NeH Era makes, and if the Nec
Era's readers enjoy it, too, we wish it per
petual continuance, that it may be to us
all never-ending joy. 1t does no harm
any more, for the idiosyncrasy of the
paper is so well-established that every
wise man has learned to know it. lie
lkens il to barrel revolV-
ing in the ocean billOws, its
continually half-drowned rider steadily
occupied in working his head to the top
AS the uneasy cask rolls away from him.
Long usage has made him an expert at
the Job y; and how he does grin and huZ-
"a when he gets astride the barrel and
remains for a while i'm calm water, an
imaginary monarch Of the seas. But
when shortly breeze stirs up the water
and the confounded barrel turns over
and buries its rider in the sea. 4 mOmen-
tary sympathy is felt for him in his pre-.
llicament. until he turns up smiling Oh
the other side and commences his evOlu'
tiOns to regain his seat. And since it is
then apparently all well with him i'll his
own conceit, we can afford to look and
laugh and wait fol the next upsetting
prepared to enjoy it with clear con-
science.
The exhibition of its ruling passion 81
pointedly made i'm its bold assault on the
district attorney, its capitulation before
a shot was fired, at the sight of the jury
and its renewed courage when the IN
TELL1GENCER went in front of it ant
took the scalps it hankered for, is still
fresh in the public mind when the mum
cipal election comes along and gives th'
Ner Era another fine chance to diSpla.
its special talent. a stout supporter o.
Boring before the election, it damns hin
afterward. Il told you So is the bur
then of its cry in its defeat, as it never
fails to be. In victory it would have
strutted and swelled and said, See
what we have done by our loyalty to th'
Republican party, and our devotion t.
its interests 1t is ever thus with th'
Ne,c Era. 1t never yet has been know
to have spared its claim to the honor
of success or to have refrained from
vowing that defeat came from
neglecting it's counsels. 1t is al
ways right and always virtuOu:
in its own opinion. 1t was right, il
thinks, for it to support: Boring, who wa
defeated, as it now claims, because hi
was an unworthy candidate forced upOl
the party by the party lash welded b.
selfish hands for mean purposes. 1t il
clear enough that with such views Of thu
candidate and the uses he was to sub
serve if elected, it was not the part OF Ill
honest and sensible journal to advocate
his election. But, as we have said, tht
funny thing about the New Era is that
it never recognizes this simple logic ant
never seems to think that anybody elst
does; and so it keeps on in its amusing
gambols, calmly rolling over whenever
it feels like it-a very porpoise in the
sea.
TIE Examiner publishes the following
as circular which it pretends to believe
was sent through the Fourth ward the
night before the election by the Democ
racy:
FEBRUARY 16.
MIR. Dear Sir-We are on the
eve of an important election. Tomorrow
shall decide whether honest Mayor Mac
GOnigle shall retain his position or whether