San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1880-12-02
THEN AND NOW.

cratic line. Outside Of Tamman,
Hall there are few, if any, to do hin
reverence. North, South, East ant
West the cry goes up against him
he is by turns a pig-headed fool,
venomous imbecile and a base trait
or. Yet this is the identical John Kell,
whom, but four little months ago
the Democrats OF the United States
in convention assembled crawled I,
on their bellies and worshipped.
Honest men saw in that spectacl,
of obsequious idiocy, as it swellet
into tlmult Of self abasement thu
death knell of the opening can
vass. Never was political body sc
completely bossed, and tossed in {
blanket by one man. The refusal tt
seat Kelly and his tattermallions
was carefully arranged farce. The
hypocrisy of his temporary exclusion
was manifested next day, when, refus
ing to listen to Mr.. Tildens grand
letter of remuneration, the convention
fell into n paroxyism of foul delight
at the appearance of John Kelly
There was neither an honorable sen,
timent nor magnanimity, nor any
logical outgrowth of the situation to
Justify the sacrifice of truth and man
hood. It was the offspring of con
scious degradation seeking to drown
its sensibilities of shame in one final
wild debauch. The convention had
surrendered to Tammany. Hall. In
doing SO it stultifed itself, and realiz-
ing its abandonment of principle,
its only recourse was excess
No one who witnessed that scene
will ever forget it. A little to the
right of the stage, and just in front,
sat seventy representatives of the no
BILE democracy of New York. A more
gentleman-like body Of men could
hardly be imagined. They carried
their commissions not merelyin their
pockets but in their faces. They
could not be mistaken. One could
tell them at a glance to be CONSERVE
tive men, respectable men, intelligent
men, representative men. Behind
them sat Kelly and his gang of raga-
mullins and jail-birds besotted in
appearance; brutal in demeanor |;
making contrast Us striking as it
was disgusting. They had just
emerged from from a state canvass
in which they had betrayed and but
chered their party. Their chief ap-
peared, not as u neutrality-suspicious.
but as u bold, defiant autocrat, glory
ing in his treason, and declaring that
if the convention refused his dictation
he would repeat it. And the conven-
ton, first quailing before him, finally
made virtue OF the necessity its
cowardice had created, and rose to its
feet to cheer its master to the echo.
Nothing in the annals of partisan ser
Witty can be named by the side OF
this. ''''' y ".t.i
Now, those who joined lolldest in
that orgy are bitterest among the as
sailants of John Kelley, who is no
worse to-day than he was then An
obstinate, ill-tempered, ambitious and
incapable man--who would never
have had the opportunity to work the
injury which has come to the party
| if he had not been encouraged by
greater men in the Senate and House
of Representatives at Washington. 3
We do not say that if Tilden and
Hendricks had been nominated at
Cincinnati they could or would have
been elected What we sayis, that the
senseless, causeless, rlinous, wanton,
discreditable, unwarranted and un-
provoked war upon Mr.. Tilden, waged
by Democrats calling themselves
leaders, and preceding the Cincinnati
convention by three years got the party
in such a condition as to make the
success Of its national ticket well nigh
impossible. That war encouraged Mr..
Hendricks to break the duality of the
idea of the old ticket. Through Mr..
Hendricks it secured ruling of the
Indiana Supreme Court, retaining in
spite of the will of the people express
ed at the ballot box, the October vote.
1t stimulated and encouraged John
Kellys rebellion and lost Robinson
New York last fall. 1t sunk O great
issue out of sight, retired a great lead
er and set Democrats by the ears. 1t
brought us to Cincinnati, not to Join
hands in asserting a great principle,
and righting q great wrong, but to
pick the least of many evils which
faction 5ad produced. We were half
beaten when we got 10 Cincinnati.
The management Of the canvass did
the rest and the wonder is how, un-
der all the circumstances, we got on
as well as we did.
Most of those who are responsible
for this state Of things have paid the
penalty of their inexcasable folly by
their enforced retirement from pub
lie life. Those who remain upon the
stage are trying to throw the whole
of the blame on John Kelly. II they
succeed in Obhterating him, and
razing Tamnany Hall 10 the ground.
they viii repay part Of the debt
they owe to Their party and entitle
themselves 20 50 much drawback
Kellyis1n is simply bossism and boss
ism Is Grant.sla- That, in every
form, Is 8 pubic menace. and at al
hazards, must be got rid Of We
want principles. and Of course Ne