New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-15
PHILOSOPHICAL UNDER DEFEAT

BHILOSOIHIC1L UNL)Eh JEIIHI'
We take great comfort in remarking the
signs of Improvement in the Democratic party.
Under the Christening influences of defeat
they a;e becoming philosophical The change
in their conduct and behavior since their de-
feat in 1876 is marked. Then they allowed
themselves to be carried away by their dis
appointment. They lost their temper entirely
Instead of bowling gracefully and resignediy
to the fate which had Oyertaken them they
set up the howl of Fraud, raved violently
through the newspapers, called President
Hayes hard names, threatened, clustered ana
did all manner of foolish and unbecomlng
things. They could hardly speak Of politics.
and certainly could not hear the Presidents
name mentioned without flying into passion
and making themselves ridiculous. The expe-
rience of the last election, however, instead
of cmbttering them and making them still.
more dissatisfied and rcbellious under the
blows of adverse fortune, seems actually to
have moIlowed them. They not only talk
sepsibly about their reyerses but they rise to
the height Of a serene philosophy ana permit
themselves to joke about it.
Here, for instance, is General Mcclellan, at
the dinner given ut the Manhattan Club the
other night to the defeated candidate, dis
coursng in a humorous rollicking vein over
the FIVE successive Presidential defeats OF
the party since the unconscious joke was
perpctratcd Of putting hm in nomination on
a platform representing that not he but the
war was a failure. Here, too, Is eX-Lleuten-
ant Governor Dolshcmer, gentleman who
anon ordinary political occasions is serious to
the very verge Of melancholy and we find him
turning off from remarks regarding the diap-
pointmcnt of General Hancock, to suggest in
ouizzical way that his regret was probably
nothing to compare with that OF the rest OF
the party who were expecting to come to fat
Offices through his success. And the inimita-
bic Judge Brady too, seeing that the fun was
too fast and furious for even him TO contend
in a similar vein, indulgod in the finer vein Of
sarcasm expressed in a prediction that after
President Glrfcld'4 term had expired there
"woud be victory for the JcItersonan colors
"all over the land Mr.. Augustus Schcl eX-
pressed the opinion that lie recent election
afforded no cause for doubt rs 10 the ultimate
success of the party, and eX-Goycnor Hof-
man recalled in his own quietly tacctious way
the "rucs of political science under which
he was elected Governor in the remark
"Whcn we have had few more Democratic
funerals and few more restrictions OF
"Dcmocratic principles, we shall see the
dawn of that era when we shall have the
"country under the guidance Of those rules of
"political science under which it was founded
"nnd under which alone it can exist"
But perhaps the two funniest things said on
this occasion were when Mr. Yandcrpoel COM
r,red fine guest of the evening with tine Obc-
li,k-probably because il is as easy for the
average Democrat TO understand one as the
otbrr-and the guest responded with an ap-
ucoroncc of seriousness that while he regarded
his connection with the recent Presidential
canvass as practically closed. he continued to
maintain the principles which he held
when me accepted the nomination, and
hoped to sec them prevail at some
ruture time. The fact being that nobody
knew or could find out what his principles
were The Generals proclamation of contin-
ned devotion to them must have struck the dim
ncr party "a the best joke OF the evening.
rho GENERAL effect OF the entertainment,
however, seems to us very fine. 1t Is
much better TO take defeat III this
wov than to null over it and cry
"Fraud,p and refuse to be cOmiorted, rs
go many of them did four years ago.
This is. the way in which to show
certain superiority to fate And it has This
other advantage, that hereafter the obscure
statesman who is invited to be a Democratic
candidate for President may look beyond the
inevitable defeat which awaits HIM to the GER
toipty of a good dinner at the Manhattan
Climb and lots Of fun after it. We are sin
ccrelv glad that General Hancock gets SO
much rs that out OF II.