New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-18
MORE PEFGRjfyNE.

Any sincere Effort to Ici0rn tie Democratic
party will have the wdIlacst sympathy OF
THE TRIBUNE. Not that we have any idea that
reform is possible, iOI tue patty is really so far
gone that but one practical way of ieiOlm seems
open, and that is by aEOlisEmg it altogether.
But these little spuits of activity on the part OF
what may be called the reforming element in
the party .uraish evidence OF q ONsclou.neSs III
the minds Of individual MsmbctS Ct the party
that some kind Of reform is nccC, say. l. Is
remarkable circumstance in relation 10 all the
reform movements that hay" been set on foot
and nearly all Of Them have hal their origin
in tbs city and been directed toward TIE
organization OF the patty hcie-that not one
OF thcln has eycI pretended to anything radical
OF vital in character. They 90 not touch Tie
principles OF the party, It's beliefs, Is aim or
It's purposes. What they aim Is simply either
a change in the personnel OF the management
and leadership by winch a new set Of officials
MAJ enjoy the honygs and the snoils, OF p pei
lection OF methods by which the patty may
maintain and strengthen It's hold OF power in
tie metropolis \ genuine reform wculi lie 20
shake g., the pGEy into some sort o. political
belief If that we've possible; to pat IL upon
SOM principle Or platform OF princ pies i. could
understand, and honestly and earnestly aivo-
cate SO give it, in shOrG s0m reason iOI being,
other than the appoHt' l0i puOic pluIleI. The
trouble with then Is that what tLey believe IL
they don't dare avoW, and what they ayoW tncy
neither agree ah0p, nor seem 10 care Tor except
as it helps them to the goal they aim at -the
Offices.
1 he history Of the patty in this city during
tie past ten years is fail OF what hayc been
called reform movements. The I've q Ring
was reformed OGt OF Tammlny, ana tn. Kelly
crowd came in. The ApJilo Il Il Democracy
took its turn al reforming the party; the living
Hall Democracy succeeded il. Prom boin
Tammany and Irving Hall there ale constant
detcctions of "reformeIs' who go beck au1
folt from one TO the O,hcr, or set up neW organ
lzati0ns dcnOuncing the cofruptons OF both
and inviting all nOnest Democrats into the new
concern. Yet never ono OF them brei;hes
word or syllable touching anything higher than
ampaign tactics methods OF orEaniza, ion, or |
the petty personalities of ward politics Here |
has been war open and constant between two |
great factions in the party IN this city for |
years, and there has not Appeared during the |
whole progress OF it siugle question OF prin- |
ciplc, or even or policy, OF of anything except !
who shall have tle offices aud the spoiis. They |
drove out Tweed and his gang because thcr
rObbeues had been exposed, and the scandal
was SO great ami fragrant they could do nothing |
else. But they began Immediately a squa Oble
for tne spOils and have oeen engaged III it ever
since The quarrel between Kelly and Tilden
was over nothing but the division OF pundcr
between Kelly and Robinson it was the same
between Tammany and Anti Tammany there
has never been any difference except to who
should have the Offices The period OF this
long contention-in which the contending parties
have shifted sides and crossed lack and forth III
such endless and ineXtricable confusion that
)ne can hardly separate the factions-has never
been lighted up by Il single issue in which there
was involved a political principle that did not
Degin and end in the'greed Of public plunder.
And now there's another reform on foot. 1t
'as itself "The Young Mems Democratic
Club" aud proposes new enrolment and re-
organization CT the party in this city. The first
tep in this Recommended, the only Ieiorm
proposed that we can see is the passage OF
aw " FOR the legal regulation of primaries and
the prevention of fraud and intimidation at
primary elections, 80 as to preserve the sources
of political power pure" That IS, if we un-
LEI stand it, che object of this movement is to
o regulate the primaries that Taminany and
wing Hall shall not control them by fraud and
intimidation. The thing aimed at Is to destroy
he power of the two Halls in the organization,
nd put the new club in the place of either or
10Th Of them. This. easy enough, is fight
or the machinery, and not for beliefs. 1t is
ot question of principle, but of leaders. The
ew club is started by men who have seeded
rom the two Halls, and who, it is not uncharit-
BILE to say, are ambitious of leadership them
elves The trouble is that they start out with
ut any belief except In the Democratic party I,
nd the Democratic party, after running up
nd down the gamut for twenty years, be- {
ewing or pretending to believe in every ,
ling by turns and nothing long, has come to |