New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-18
REFORu BY REORGANIZATION

REFORM BY REORG aNIZITION
A considerable number Of respectable clt-
zens who have fallen into the habit OF voting
the Democratic ticket and find it difficult to
break away from IT, harbor the deu,ion that
ii Is easier to reform the party than to get
rid of the habit. What we need" said
temperance advocate to an old topper, "Is
"temDcrance reform. Rum is running thou
sands. Men must stop drinking" 81 (hic)
"eree with yc," said the topper. Rf0rm's
"needed But dom less (hic) stop drink'n.
"GIic1 Less improve the rum SO our
respectable Democrats, admitting as they must,
when they contemplate the history Of their
party for the past twenty years, and especially
when they look over its recent record, that
if there ever was case for reform this is one,
refuse to entertain the most natural suggestion
in the line of rctorm-that they quit voting
the ticket-and jump to the conclusion that
the thing to do is to reform the party and
improve the qu lIty of the ticket And a
nice time they will have of it. Tney
are trying to save with salt body
that is already too far gone for
anything but burial-the same salt, too, that
was intended for the tail of the
American Eagle in the late campaign. 1t
won't do. The best thing and the only thing
thew can do is to cut loose from the remains
These respectable Democrats who are just
enough ashamed Of their party TO confess that
il is not worthy their confidence and support,
and not ashamed enough to break off from the
habit OF voting for it, met mt the Hotel
Brunswick the other night to perfect arrange
ments already begun to reform the party by
reorganization. That is to say, the party hav-
ing suffered defeat, rs they believe, through
having too many ORGANIZATIONS between which
there was lack Of harmony, it Is proposed
10 correct the evil by a reorganization which
shall add one mole to the number OF existing
ORGANIZATIONS. The present Iammany orgarI-
cation, it will be remembered. Is the result OF
a reform which reformed the Tweed crowd
ont and tine Kelly crowd in; Irving Hall grew
I'D out of an endeavOr to reform Tammany
Hall the IIotel Brunswick movement grows out
of 4 desire to reform Irving Hall and
then there's the Young Mems Club, which has
a mild desire to retOlm them all SO every
reform is a reorganization, and every reOrgan-
ization is a new organization, and they are all
dead-set OH reforming each other ont of the
leadership and management, and themselves
in. Tne consequence is more politicians to
provide for, ana more bargaining and trading
IN the offices Mt the eXpense'of the taxpayers.
The Hotel brunswick reiormers are propos-
ing to start thrir machine in this way. \
mass-meeting OF Democrats is to be held,
through the fundamentally of which there is
to be appointed Il General Committee of Eff
teen, $50 be elected from our strongest and
" most influential Democrats" whose duty 1t
shall be to form Committee of 240 Demo
Gratis ten beng selected from each Assembly
District and this Committee shall be charged
with the duty of reOrganiZing the party. Fol-
lowing this is an elaborate plan cover
ing the details of the work. There, now,
is q reform for you. 1t begins practi-
collv. It will be noticed, with Committee
Of Fifteen. to be selected through the Instru-
mentality of a mass meeting" And WAS
ever mass meeting anything but wise ! Did
ever mass meeting do anything that was not
unseltisb. discreet, statesmanllke and pa
trlotic 4? Did mass meeting, indeed, ever do
ANYTHING that the haf-dozen Bosses who
managed it did not provide beforehand for
il 10 dof This is an uncommOnly fine
scheme. but the question after all is--who ap-
poiuts the Committee of Fifteen These
gentlemen are trying to reform the Bosses out
OF eXiSbcHCc bD cicNeiHk hVAD DoSocoJ anu w
reform away the Halls by erecting new one.
That is what it all comes to in the end more
Bosses, more Halls, more organizations, more
politicians, more men hungry for Office, more
trouble.
And this is what the respectable gentlemen
a. the Hotel Brunswick call reform by reor-
ganization. As if it would take the cross
off, the Democratic party to split it up
into four or five different organizations. all
supporting the same general ticket! That's
another old toper's reform smaller drinks,
" but a.great many more of EN-"