Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-12-30
la1lcaster fnteIIigenrer.
FRIDAY EVENING, DEC. 80. 1881.
The PHILADELPHIA Democracy.

cratic politicians are mysterious and
past finding out. They resemble those
of Providence in no other particular.
For many years they have been a sore
affliction to their country brethren and
their waywardness and uncertainty have
been the most disturbing facts in the
party organization of the state-or rath-
er its lack of organization. The state
convention OF 1850 was moved by long
experience Of this disgraceful sort to
make all effort 10 break up the old fac.
tiOns in the city, whose strife had cost
the party SO much, and to seek to effect
q lasting peace. The commission then
appointed imposed some sort of regula-
tions on the city Democracy which
seemed at the time TO be acquiesced in,
and under the operation of which and
by the skiilful direction of Mr.. Cassidy
there was poll of a 600 votes for Han.
cock in 1850, Il result to which no Demo.
crat could fairly rake exception. 1t was
very creditabie showing {: albeit, an
element Of local politicians who had
heretofore trained with Mr.. Cassidy de-
clared that his activity was inspired 10y
his desire TO supplant Senator Wallace
and this suspicion made Il breach in
what had before been known as the Cas-
sidy-McGowan-Singerly faction of the
Philadelphia Democracy.
Whatever foundation there was for
this suspicion. the result of the election
left nothing for Il Democratic factional
quarrel over in the state ; and in this re-
spect the defeat of 1850 was a blessing to
the Pennsylvania Democracy. AS the
feeling in the WilliamspOrt convention
plainly showed there has been very sub
stantiai advance made in the way
OF party harmony. The movement set
on foot iii 1850 has been realized. Such
things as Wallace and Randall factions
no longer exist, and, whatever the indi-
vidual Ur local relations of Democrats of
prominence and influence, there are more
whose names can ls successfully invoked
to-day as the leaders of factions within
lle party OK L.ie stale.
Meanwhile the Philadelphia Demo
cracy have not presented :, spectacle Of
harmony ANA efficiency AS chairman
of the city committee, George Bull
has been 4 conspicuous failure. lie seems
to be popular with no faction and has no
following; he has neither strengthened
the organization nor made it respectable.
The fusion of last February, which made
King mayor alid Hunter receiver, was
accomplished in spite of the organization
and has left agrcat deal of bitterness in
its wake. Instead of promptly recogniz
ing the fac: that Kings faithful obscrv-
ance of his pledges and the administration
of fearless, bipartisan city government
by the Democratic mayor have worked
immeasurahlc'good to the city, and con-
sequently To the party of which he is a
member, there is Il very considerable
element of the Philadelphia Democracy
which keeps kicking against the pricks
and is constantly abusing Pattison and
King for not prostituting their offices to
mean partisan ends. At the Williams.
port convention such illuStriOus states
men rs Bill Gallagher and Bob Lister
Smith we're busy pouring into the ears
OF country delegates the story that
Mayer King had ruined the party, by re-
deemins his pledges and enforcing civil
service ideas in his administration of the
police department. 1t is to be feared
that they receive too much encourage.
ment from men of better repute, who
are willing to use them as Instruments
to crafty their factiOnal feelings or
to avcnge What they consider
their personal grievances. There is
no reason why the Philadelphia
Democracy should not put themselves
into Il position to..rcap for the party all the
advantages that accrue to it from the
upright discharge of their duties by men
OF its number and whom it, mainly, has
elected TO positions CT trust. 1t is not to
be expected that in the work of holding
up the hands of honest officials the Phil.
adelphia Democracy can have the assist
ance of the JosepllSes and McMullens. the
Gallaglers and Listers, the Killackys
and BG:keS, the Ryans and Mackins :;
but it is an incomprphensible mystery to
the rural Democracy why the decent
men of the party there do not combine
long enough at least to get the organiza-
tion out of the slough of desrond, and by
cutting off the disreputahle class give
such promise of better things as
would induce the independent citi-
zens to unite with it. Formerly
when the "county Democracy who
represented Messrs. Randall, Vaux,
Ker. the Picrces, Dallas, Sanders, Ia
gert, Read and others, were Oh one side,
and the city Democracy were composed
of Messrs. Cassidy, McGowan, Barger,
Singerly, McGrath and their friends,
each faction had its share of tie rascals,
and Josephs AMI McMullen, with their
retaincrs We're about as equally divided
as the equities OF the case. Both fac
tions came to state conventions with
their dirty linen to wash and with dir
tier gang of noisy hired clacquers to fight
in the hotel lObbies while their chiefs
fought on the floor of the convention ::
and either side expected those country
delegates who sympathized with
it's main purposes to stand by
it on every issue and vote for every
contestant to a seat whose name was "on