New-York tribune., 1880-04-09
THE MISSION or THE DEMOCRATIC
UNIOND

the party are having remarkable effect. III
the firat place, the organization OF the Union
made new split 1t added to tho fighting fac
tions O sort of cooling band, the purpose OF
which seems to be to pick off straggers from
the flanks of the cOntesting organizations. Both
factions accordingly dstrust it, though both
pretend to listen to its cooling, and to be willing,
under certain conditions, which happen in each
case to be impossible, to be brought together
and coddled by it. And the Union is composed
OF gentlemen of hopeful temperament, who i'll
the belief that all things are possible, would
not shrink from an attempt to unite in the same
room match factory and powder mill, if the
undertaking promised profit. They have sub
mtted very plausible and taking basis for
harmonious action to the two great factions.
Each faction has turned it over cautiously,
smelt of it, read 1T backward and forward, crlss-
cross and sideways, and studied with magnl-
fying glass the spaces between the lines, and
referred it to committee Each committee
has then gone through with the same process
and turned it over to q subcommittee, and ut
last accounts the refining process was still
going on, with prospect of its finally reaching
q kind of resdUum subcommittee of one, who
will make q report under Instructions that each
organization is willing to accept the uncOndi-
tional surrender of the other. Then the cooling
of the cOnciliatOrs will stop and the lighting of
the factions go on as usual.
The condition of union offered by the Tilden
and anti -Tammany faction is that all who take
part in the primaries for the choice of delegates
to the State Convention, and all who are ad
mitted to that body, shall agree to abide by its
I.. han,
But this being done, the threat of bolt against
Tildcn is Withdrawn, and that gentleman's sup
pOrterS go to Cincinnati with a solid delegation
from Newly ready to assure the Convention
that, with this danger avered they can carry
Ncw-l Ork for Tildtn in the election and make
his triumph sure. The agreement to abide by
the action of the Convention spikes Tammanys
guns and is only another name for surrender.
To. this proposition, accordingly, Tammany lays
its finger on its nose and drops the tail of it,
eye with the intelligent wink of one who asks
if you'd teach your grandmother how to suck
"eggs." And the Tammany people say No
one will go further than we for the sake OF
harmony. Only one man stands III the way OF
union and victory. Set him aside and we will
"agree to abide by the action of the COnved-
ton" There is but one answer to this. The
larger faction cannot submit to the dictation of
the less in matter of such importance, for it
would not only cost them the loss of their self
respcct-which might not trouble them much,
to be sure-but would be practically an aban-
dOnment of the field and surrender to Tam
many of the prestige, position and influence
they have gained i'll the State i'll the past two
years. So the peace-malling mission of this
Democratic NnlOn, praisewOrthy as it is, seems
not only difficult but impossible. These fac
tons are in q life-anddeath struggle. The
Union cannot reconcile or set them at peace.
The most they can do Is to sit still and look on,
like Roman citizens at the amphithcatTC, waiting
for the crisis to come when they can raise or
turn their thumbs as they would slay or save.
And yet it seems pity that such arbitrating
talent as these gentlemen unquestiOnably have
else they would have never undertaken such
a medation-should go unused when the party
offers such field for its exercise. Plainly,
they must give over the attempt to bring Tam
many and ant-Tammany together as II futile
scheme. But there are other disputes they may
adjust, other quarrcls in which they may sue
cessfully mediate. They may remove to Wash
ington and hold permanent session there for
the adjudication of differences between Demo-
cratic Congressman. They may find plcntT to
do in simply rccOnciling Democrats who have
charged each other on the floor of the House
with lying OF cheating. They might apply
themselves to uniting Nj. CoffrOth with Mr.
Blackburn, who lately gave him the lic They
might reconcile with Mr.. Fernando Wood
Messrs. Morrison and Tucker, who have
charged him with untruthfulness They might
,f | ici r. cI,.I,o
with Mr.. Acklen, of the same State whom he
has charged with forging his name to a commit
tee report. They might restore friendly rea-
tions between Mr.. Manning and Mr.. Springer,
who day or two ago were exchanging charges
OF bribery, SANDER, corruption and libel. Hay
ing disposed Of these cases they could take up
the Sparks -Clymcr matter of Wednesday, and
perhaps prevail on Clymer, whCm Sparks called
u liar" to say that nc considers Sparks Il gen
tleman, and upon Sparks to say that he has
great fondncss for Clymer, who charged him
with misrepresentation. Here il field for
peacemakers and II promising one, for these
Congressional quarrcls are never fatal. When |
one Democrat calls another q liar it is upon inn
pulse, and he is always ready to take it back |
What is needed is n sort of high |
court of reconciliation, like that which the Dem
ocratic Union have been trying to establish here
where Democratic statesmen after calling each
other liars and frauds can meet on common
ground, bury all differences and unite in Il solid
phalaux to drive out of public life the dangerous
men who do not shake their fists in each others
faces or call each other liars.
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