New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-18

FOTAD UINIiAG.
SixycalS ago The Democratic party came into
control in ,Ac i.ou,c Of Representatives, Hlh
.ish hopes. Two grand convocjt,"Ho oi .'Hd
liz. Democrat, ;lon all pans oi tie Union we"
AclG ~ the Manhattan cub IN this citH, II thc
wear ISL; che. May Z. was 10 pan tie caih-
pal.n. md one, N3Ncmb r >, wa 70 jo cr o''T
ihyncmcnd lis 81 tri5 achieved. In May, thy
patty r,l&rd, aud ~ later STAT" conventions ict-
pa.Iy promised, " Hard Money, Free Trade, ard
i.,mr Eu"." On tAat pretended Fla i"lm Ii
SWEET Ncw-Yoi1, Pennsylvania Nc"-J tsey.
CmnrctIcu;, and Ncw-iIam shire; iT" on o.
eleven m,mhcls of Congress III Massachusetts,
ri. htc,n out OF ihhty three Ia New oIh. aaG
seventeen out of twenty SEVEN II Pennsylvania.
The same year II C.cctcd thirteen out oi twenty
in Ono, EIGHT 0uj o. thirteen III Indiana, ana
twelve out OF nineteen in Illinois. L"ily ami
cxultant was the tone oil the si'tahclS at The
Manhattan CLUB in November, ami gorgeous the
promises OF reform male 10y MeSsrs llden,
Bayard, Thurman, Eaton and Stockton on tnat
festive OCCASION. What has been the result
Tire Aetc- York IiOHd Is not an unillchdlY wit
ness It's editorial answer on Monday last was
ihls:
tycs during -x o.rs Of power, ms do"c r'HH9 iH
financial REFORM tal.t ,,lcru. lax reform or citA eI-
vice reform. II ma, However. been cMH'ri, Il n'I
Wholly cII.sceut.d-, Ia ia REDUCTION OF "!pUITidl!"H'
TAe.c Is 40 plr;icu,r stt'c>m.usHp IN cutting down
estimates submit ted to Cor by the Executive. Iut
the d uocidtc maj iN It's ei":ied heo''hy cc'n'm'
..lG"nrr.
The friendly witness tcstGcs, in effect, that
the only mriitolious thing which tie Demo-
GA ic majority has d nc WAS IL tln@ W.hch Wd3
lot enc of those promised, and which mani
tested "no particular Sta'rsmlushlp." We may
add that tie reduction Of ap. rupridtiou5 was
performed in su h a way as to exhibit ~ amaz
Ing acA OF knowledge about the real Il, OF
tie country, and a remarkably .t.al!o" ana I'M
scrupulou+ denasogism and 1t WIS acc III
panied an! has been iol!owcd by Shameless
ness in plundrr =, as III RIVER and lluhoI
bills, and a rcchlrss,rss in OTenmg the dourN
for thunder. as in thr Pension Arrears bill, That
have never yet been saOWu Oy any Otn,T party.
Bat The solemn pledges OF the parry to Tie ptr-
plc-the pledges which induced n'epclHcni
voers 20 Try it this once what OF them
Not one has been KEEP. Not one has the parry
matte thc slightest effort 10 keep. " Ghc Demo-
"c1atlc majority during its six ycals of power
"has done nothing for financial reform, tarl
"lcioim, tax IciOrm or clvi, service reform
These pregnant words may he fifty i'll
scrbcd as an cpitGph on the Democratic tomb
stone. They tell jhc story Of Il miserable at
tempt to resu'rcci dead party. The days OF
this experiment are uumber d two weeks ilOm
this day Democracy aud Power will part com
pany forever. The historian will not have TO
search long for the CAUSES If tie beating AID
the sh me. Broken pledges" Tie world will
say. But it is not in the nature of 10 itical
party to break promises which are expressions
Of its true purpose or sincere belief. lac So
called Democratic party Of later years has been
false to everybody because its very existence
Was lie. 1t rct,n dld 10 be Il purty--au asso-
cation of ctZrns moved by common beliefs
and common desire for reforms. The rretenre
was false. No such laIty existed. H,llind the
Democratic name there WAS only gang of
houdlts cCn>piring to steal the Government in
order 10 rob the country. The Democratic
rorty. with IT'S honest though mistaken beliefs.
and its sjnceie though vicious aims died long
400. Slavery and rebellion Killed it. In its
place, and falsely using its odious name, has
come q set of creatures whose deeds and aims
the country has foaud still IpOrc odOuS. Ten
years after the war, a foreiv'ng and generous
people were able TO overlook the crimes lhdt
redden and b.. zen the Democratic name. But
a short uial of The creatures who Rad tlched
that name was enough. Democracy might have
been forgivcn the dishonest and Unsuitable
knayes who have been masking as Democratic
leaders the country never will forgive or trust.
When this conspiracy of plunderers WAS
| formed, its leaders knew, as the country has
since found out. that II had DO common belief
| in anything, ard no common desire except to
get office. They knew that its professions and
platforms were frauds. Trey knew that
| Western Changers Southern repudiatOrs, and
| Eastern bankers were not agreed i'll proposing
| Hard Money" OF Free Trade They knew
that utterly irIeeoncilable elements, opinions,
and interests were kept together only by de-
sine to get power by fraud, since 1T could I've got
| in no other way. They pretended to be
| rnorxanizIng tue DAILY y; in reality they ere