The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-12-07
REPUBLICAN, RUSH FOR OFFICE.
Nashville American

1 NeaAfAAio AAtAeAAaAA
Republicans have an ilI-mannere,
habit of denouneing democracy as
band Of place-hunters, and, even il
so grave paper as a national plat
form, the i'll taste was displayed o.
charging democracy, in coarse
terms, with being e mere band OF
public plunderers, seeking only
spoils. The system of civil service
time has fastened upon that govern
ment which is open TO all parties
and the control Of which is the end
| of all party endeavor, renders the
charge far too truly applicable to
all. That it is falsely charged that
the party Of power is more deeply
infected by this prevailing vice than
the party in power is apparent from
the course of political events. The
manifest truth that factional thirst
for place affects the party in power
as deeply rs party hunger for Office
affects the democracy finds addition
al Illustration in the crowd pressing
to obtain the meagre spoils which
attend upon success in the organi-
cation. When Mr. Garfield entered
upon his administration the repub-
lican crowd, pressing fer recOgni-
ton, put to shame in numbers the
hungry army which mobilized itself
when it was believed that Tilden
was elected Through this faction
al greed the President lost his life.
1t is we'll to recur to this theme |
in the light Of present affairs. There
is not only an unmanneTly and |
greedy rush for the speakership, |
but the great national party with a |
big n has developed within its own 4
national bosom the jealous throbs Of
the worst kinds of sectionalism, the
east against the west. For the mi
nor places in the house and the SEN
ate they come from all quarters and
of all kinds, from the forests Of
Maine, from the heights of the Sier-
ras, from the slopes of the Pacific,
from the savannahs of the south.
They "cOme as the waves come
when navies are stranded, and 1t is
to say that parties are
stranded by this sort Of thing When
the republican party had principles
and policies, and all meaner aims
were subordinate to ideas to be real
ized, greed stood back abashed or
found itself firmly pressed back by
the popular devotion to ideas Now
that it has become a mere band of
spoil hunters, the hungry crew of
harpies not only prey upon I
.he government and befoul the table
1t which they are fed, but turn in
3atiate upon and gnaw the very vi ,
ais of the party itself which gives /
hem life and place 1t is with an
Il grace that they charge democracy /
With the crime Of spoils hunting II
One Of the most amusing phases
If the spectacle is the confidence :
With which the ever faithful crowd :
n, unmindful that allies are neces-
AIRY to their enjoyment of any of
hese good things. There are 9TH .
rs by whose help alone they can
nope to obtain a crumb for distribu-
ion. These will not labor for pure
patriotism without the hope of re-
ward. No one of the ever faithful
) anywhere, at any time, preparing ,
'ewards for them. 1t is all u game
If grab on the part Of the old guard. {
The new allies are left out in the
old in all calculations. The princi-
l. -
must not presume to wag the dog; s
lut the tail in this case turns out to
)e leg, without which they have no
and the leg may demand
Of the dog which stands :
IN it. "The shark is a boojum, you !
'ee." 1t is a beautiful spectacle for
/ civilized country.