New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-14
A POLITICAL WRECK.

Nearly all wrecks have some use in the
world. A market can be found for an old
stove or an old ship, If there is any iron III
either that is fit for remanufacture; waste pa
per and old rags find ready buyers, and even
for old shoes modern science has found sew
eral uses But the wreck known as the Demo-
cratic party does not seem to be Ill demand.
There has been some talk about fusing 1t
with the Greeuback party. But it is not quite
clear that the Greenback people want the
Democratic hulk even for free gift. To break
if M for the material there is In 1t, as con-
demned ships are broken up for old iron, copper
and corlage, would seem at first blush the
most natural disposition to make OF the
wreck but when craft has had horrible
pestlence on board, some people do not care
to purchase or NEEDLE with it. The Greenback
people see that the intOlerable odinm OF the
Democratic party would quickly attach to any
other embracing the same materials. Ii the
Democratic votes should go over to the
Greenback party, they would take with them
the record which has made Democracy
a stencil in the nOstrs.
The talk is that the union can be effected
on the basis of hostility TO corporations and
mOnOpolies If the managers of the corpora
tions have half the slrcwdness that Is attrib-
uted to them they would regard such con-
solidation as the best thing that could possibly
hammer for their interests. AT present, hostility
to corporations IS rather popular. Let 1t become
identified, however, with that element which
upheld slavery, caused rebellion, prolonged
the war. organized assassination OF Union
men throughout the South, resisted equal
suffrage, carried many States by tissue-ballOts
and false counts, tried TO bride electors or
returning officers, forged and circulated the
Morey letter, made war for ten years
on the public credit, and resisted re-
sumption until it had been a completed
and glorious success for nearly a year,
and the corporations would never have occa-
sion thenceforward to fear the popularity of
the attack upon them. That great body Of
voters which made war on the Union, on
equal suffrage and on resumption, can never
make war on anything else in this country
with reasonable hope of success. The people
would regard any transfer OF Democratic votes
to the Greenback party as merely new dis
guise or trick. No one has forgotten how
easily the conservative mask was dropped
IN Louisiana, Missouri or Virginia. When the
country wants to be ruled by Democrats, it
will vote for Democratic ticket quite as soon
"a for q ticket labelled "Greenback or
"Granger," and supported almost exclusively
bv Democrats. 1t would suit the corporations
very well to get the opposition to them loaded
down with all the infamies of Democracy.
The scheme will not work for another rea-
son. A great many of the shrewdest leaders
of the Democratic party are thoroughly de-
voted to the very "monopolies" or corpora
tons which it is proposed to assail. Its late
candidate for the Vice Presidency is not the
ouly Democratic leader who has been long
identified with the national banking system.
An attack upon the railroads would not sue
coed well in party which numbers among
its active and influential men MesSrs. Jewett,
of the Erie, and Garrett, of the Baltimore and
Ohio; Bishop, of Connecticut; LathrOp, of New
Jersey, Wallace and Scott, of Pennsylvania;
Malone, of Virginia; Brown, of Georgia; POr-
ter, of Tennessee Ewing, Of Ohio Mitchell, of
Wisconsin and many other men more or less
closely connected with railroad enterprises.
An attack upon the tariff monopoly" would
meet with resistance from a great many men
like Speaker Randall and the late Senator
Barnum, and the President of the COnsol-
dated Telegraph Company, DR.. Green, is q
Democrat. as are not a few of its directors.
In short, before any effective warfare could
be waged against any real or alleged monOp-
oily, or any sort of corporate abuse or ag-
gression, the proposed consolidation would