New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-25

TIE FUNCTIONS or THE " UISkINShIE"
One of the sadicst features of the present
breach of harmony between the great Demo
cratic factions in this city is that in the heat
and passion of the moment so many things are
revealed which only tend TO undermine the
average voters faith in human nature. A year
ago, when the Tammany and Anh-Tammany
people were united in the noble effort 20 elect
Hancock, the one thing tnat was impressed
upon the mind of the average voter by the i'm
FASHIONED Appeals from the Democratic stump
and the earnest deliveranccs of the Democratic
press was that the chief danger to the Republic
came from the use in elections OF money de-
rived from the unfortunate holders Of Federal
Offices. Mssiyes from Republican committees
TO these oppressed Government servants asking
for contributions 10 election funds were read
from the stump and printed in the newspapers
with every degree of dsapprcyal from the pa
thctic sob of sympathy with the afflicted TO
the eliminating howl of denunciation of the
opprcssor. And the average voter, if he be-
lieycd anything that was said Icy these sympa-
thizcrs with the distressed olicc-hodvr, was
saturated with the conviction that while the Re-
publcan committees were hcapug up funds
for corrupting the ballot, by assessing Govern
mcnt officials into abject poverty, the united
Democracy was making an uphill fight with
ont "a cent Of money except rs the poor laboring
man contributed from his pittance to help on
the work of redecming the country from the
tyranny Of Republican rule. In the excitement
of the hour the average voter woLld not stop
10 ask whence came the funds for Democratic
torchlichts and banners and illumnatious and
AL that he sympathized with the oppressed
and assessed oiiice-holdcr and voted to tum
him ont from his bondage.
Aud now we learn from certain recent OBJ
scryation of that always viyaci0us and some
times trustworthy authority, I he World news
paper, that during all this period IN which the
average voter was led to believe that the united
Democracy were opposing tho Republicans
chiefly because the latter were guilty Of the
enornty of taking contributions from Office
holders, the united Democracy themselves
were pursuing their own olicc-h0lders in this
city with the unrcasoning avarce of an cXtor-
toner and the unyiclding persistence of book
agent. Not only this, but that the assessments
which they levied upon contractors, supply
men and oIice-holdcrs" were afterward
- charged Oh IN some mysterious manner upon
the taxpayers In the burst of candor gen
Grated by the existing condition of affairs in ;he
party this ingenious journal says:
Tammauy Hall has not for many years past relied dur
ing campaign and election day upon the enthusiasm
Of the organization the efforts OF local committeeman
taking pride In the Of the Democratic ticket
Tammany has relied wholly upon election machinery
exclusively moved by the power Of money 1t has been
used TO send out is Wislinske armed with book in
which were written the names Of contractors supplement
and office holders bound by feudal ties 10 render 0nan
cIo service to the Boss" The contractors and supply
mon went I'm fear OF the Tammany Controller and the
charged of their assessments in some mys
tetious manner upon the taIpayers. ana Tamnapy he
fore election always got in hand excellent plant
Of election machinery,
II is an interesting picture, to be sure and it
throws great light upon what must have been
in the mind of the average voter great mys-
terry: that is, where the money came from to
nav the great demonstrations Of the last cam
paign. But it really disturbs ones faith in
human nature to learn that all the time the
united Democracy of this city were proclaiming
their adherence of political assessments and de-
nouncng Republicans for levying them on Fed
eral oiIice-hOdeTs, they-Or enc wing of them
had a " Wsl1inslie out armed with book"
assessing contractors, supply men and Office
holders" who did not take the assessments out
of their salaries, but charged them of in some
mysterious manner upon the taxpayers The
Anti Tammany wing must have raised money
in some way for their demonstrations, but we
presume they take credit to themselves that
they did not do it through Wiskinskie.n
The spectacle of contractors, supply men and
ofice-holders" pursued by "a 'Wiskinskie'
armed with a book" is of itself sufficiently
painful. No right-minded man can think of
these haggard patriots fleeing out of their nests
near the city treasury, with raging Wiskin-
sde armed with book in hot pursuit. without
emotions of sadness. Sadness deepens to
sorrow at the thought that when the Wiskin-
skie has oyerhauled them and assessed them