New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-21
POLITICAL CONTRIBTTIONS.

Certain Republicans hold Federal offices in
this city. Most of them are ardent supporters
Of the Republican party, ard conceive it to be
their right their privilege, and their duty, to
promote its success. To this end most of them
willingly contribute money, just as they give
time and personal effort. They know that the
defeat of the Republican party, and its ex-
pusion from power, would deprive them of
their positions and salaries, because the Demo-
cratic party would not hesitate to bchead
any and every Republican oficeholdcr,
even though it should be necessary to fill the
Offices with persons of very inferior qualifca
tons. Hence Republican officers have a strong
personal motive for desiring the success Of
their party, in addition to those public motives
which influence other citizens of Republican
convictions. 1t is natural that they should not
only labor more earnestly than most other
citizens for the success Of Republican princ-
pies, but should be willing to contribute with
greater freedom in proportion to their means,
because continuance of their present means
depends upon the success of the party.
Theorists consider this very undesirable
state of things. In their view, everybody who
is in Office ought to be governed solely and
exclusively, in any political action, by dis
interested regard for the good of the country.
The people who are out of Office may work as
hard and give as freely as they please, from
the purely selfish desire to get place, and these
theorists find no fault. But the man who
takes public Office, they hold, ought
to be Invested of all personal in
terest in the success of his principles,
and deprived by law of all opportunity
nfrilt IN hot Inn,
nature is not such that this is possible. What
ever evil there is, in this personal desire of
officials to promote the success of their party.
springs from the certainty that they would he
turned out of Office, however meritorious and
capable, if the Democratic party should
come into power. Let the Democratic
party convince the present officials that
not one of them would lose his place
on account Of his Republican convictions, in
case of Democratic success aud there would
be smaller voluntary contributions to Rrpnbli-
can campaign funds, no doubt But there
would also be infinitely less zeal, and smaller
contributions, from ten times as many hungry
Democrats who want Office. The Democratic
party does not dare to make the public service
strictly bipartisan, for, if it avowed such
purpose, it could not carry a single State in
the Union. Neither has the Democratic marty
any such desire or intention. But, so long as
Democratic victory means the beheading of
Republican ofiiceholders, those officials will
inevitably contribute of their time and money
to prevent Democratic victory.
Having this fundamental fact in mind it is
easy to understand Democratic wrath when
Republican officials are invited to contribute
to campaign funds The Democrats want that
thing stopped. They insist that nobody who
holds Office ought to be invited to give cent,
though they hold it perfectly proper that ten
times as many persons of the other party, who
want Office, should be asked to contribute. Ia
order to stop the reprehensible practice of in
viting contributions from officials, the Demo-
Gratis pretend every year that the invitation is
III reality an extortion. They assert that the
Republican officials do not and will not give
money, unless they are threatened with re-
mOval by some official superior or political
committee.
Every man who knows anything of the prac
teal workings of our political system knows
that this pretence is false and fraudulent. For
years Republican officials from the very high
est down, have publicly and formally declared