Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-08-12
Mortified.
n. Y. Tribune


Mortified.
N. Y. Tribune.
There are years in politics when
the only visible feature of the Demo
cratic party is the whites of their
eyes. They are so shocked at the
dreadful doings of the Republicans,
the low tone of politics, the corrupt
and demoralizing tendencies of the
time, and the imperative need of
administrative reform and the purif-
cation OF politics, that they can do
nothing but back up against the line
of the horizon, roll their eyes in hor-
ror, and say all together " Oh my
And this appears to be that kind of
a year Various circumstances have
conspired to furnish new causes for
apprehension to party which
habitually, on the most inter
esting and even festive occa-
sions, like the Fourth of July and
the birthday of Jefferson, views
things with alarm. Besides the
general trend of things, which al,
ways gives them the utmost anxiety
when they are out of power and off
the paysrolls, they have sat up
nights during the past six Or eight
months viewing with alarm the con
soidation of capital, the oppression
of labor, the distribution of patron
age, the Republican alliance with
Malone, the deadlock in the Senate,
the designations of Conkling and
Plat, the alleged bribery Of Brad
ley, the election of United States
Senators inferior to Silas Wright,
AMI the abandonment of the temper
ance cause by the Republicans of
North Carolina and Ohio. Hence
their palms are all outward and the
whites of their eyes lend us linger-
ing twilight, while they say concert
edly in all the synonyms Of despair
ing patriotism, This is too alto
gether dreadful| This is obviously
one of the years when they throw
their entire weight on despairing Of
the republic until some encourage
ment can be given them to believe
that they will be put in charge Of
the post-offices and custom houses
at the next opportunity.
Their normal condition is one Of
apprehension for the future of the
republic So when they have re
solved that they viewed the whole
catalogue Of things which they recite
in resolutions with alarm, the public
has regarded it only as manifesto,
ton OF their ordinary state of mind.
Even when they began to be exer-
cised over the lapse of the Republi-
cans from virtue in uniting with the
Virginia anti bourbons, it had no eff
feet upon the public at large. There
was to be seen a little start of sur
prise when it came to be uuder~
stood that in Ohio the Democ
racy were disturbed because the
Republican had not committed
themselves so thoroughly as they
ought to the cause of prohibition, and
that in North Carolina their interest
in this question had gone so far that
they had themselves passed a prohib
itory law and referred it to the peo>
pie; but the thing that more than
any one other has aroused the people
to the dreadful general tendency Is
the address lately issued by the De-
mocracy of this State on the subject
, of civil service reform. In this the la
, ment over the existing state of things
the unholy use of patronage, and the
prevalence of the pernieious notion
that the offices are party perquisites
rises to the dignity of absolute pa
thos. 1t just makes the lover of his
country long for return of the days
of Jackson, who announced the dog
ma, ITO the victors belong" no, not
that, but the days of Jefferson, who
said that the offices should be filled
by those who were qualified to dis
charge the duties. The language Of
this address is so earnest-we might
almost say tearful-that the voter tc
whom it is directed might easily
forget that since the time Of
Jefferson there has been a
Jackson, or Van Buren,, OF
Polk, or Pierce, or Buchanan. Read
ing it, the voter under the stress OF
the deep feeling excited by it must
say, ooh. let us rescue the country
from the government of these bad
men, and restore it to the hands OF
Mr.. Kelly, and Mr.. Tilden, and Mr.
Samuel Cox, and Mr.. Smith Weed
and Mr.. Purroy, and the other good
and great men upon whom the
mantle of Jefferson has fallen
There is something very touching
IN these frequent and heightened
! demonstrations of grief over the
dreadfulness of the existing con-
dition by our Democratic friends
This address, for instance, is
SO evidently sincere, and the
authors of it are so clearly in
earnest, that as we contemplate the
whitaS 0f their roIlinr ovac uo oil