New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-04
TtPRF1 UJTH yUE SAME STTCK.

ID
No citizen of the metropolis who desires mu-
ncipal reform can he deceived any longer by
the claim of the County Democracy that it is
laboring TO purify city politics. few honest
men OF limited observation OF the ways OF
Democratic factions in New orll imagined last
spring that the organization oi the new move
mcnt in the local Democracy gave prom
isc Of better things than the old contcn-
tions and corruptiOns of Tammany and
Irving Halls. We never adopted this view,
and were confident that a single cam
paign would completely explode it. We he
licycd the County Democracy had not virtue
enough to sniff the spols of Office without
dropping all their sounding professions Of re-
form purposes and engaging in n scramble
with the old rings over the dish Of patronage.
This is exactly what has taken place. SO
greedy is the new organization for Office that
il has bartcrcd away its last shred of principle
for places ON the city and ward tickets. Its
fight with Kelly does not hinder it from max
ing trades with his followers whenever it sees
n chance to get place for one Of its members.
II has indorsed several Of the worst Tam
many candidates III return for a pledge Of
support for its own men. There is no CON
ccalment about these trades. They are open,
ayowed and disgTacelGl. In some eases
the dicker between the factions has not
been consummatcd owing to the attempt
of each to Overreach the other; but in
such instances the County Democracy has not
seemed at all anxious TO provo its superior
purity by putting up better candidate than
the nominee of its antagonists. The effort has
only been to get n man who has a chance to
win. Thus, in the LIST District their nominee
for Civil Justice is 4" Nike Norton, sal0on-
kecper whose only known recommendation il
his ability to command the support of the
grog-shops. No one ever heard of his arguing
a law case. In fact, it was not known, even
TO his ntimates, that he claimed TO be a
lawyer until, after his nomination, the fact
was recalled that he was admitted to the Bar
in 1869 with "BOss" Tweed, "Tim" Camp
bell. and other disrcputable politicians of like
kidney. His nomination would be an in
sult to the city if it came from an or
ganizi tion stepped in political corruption.
Ii is douby insulting when made by body
of men who have been drumming up recruits
under the banner Of Reform for nearly year,
and shouting for Il moral renovation of city
politics.
We hope we shall hear no more about the
good purposes of the County Democracy. 1t
is tarred with the same stick that has snrched
the other factions of the ID mOcratic party
in this city. and is whit cleaner
than Tammany or. Irving Hall. The single
purpose of all these organizations is to get
office, contracts, and other sorts of public plum
der. Voters who want honest and economical
city government have no place in either Of
them. The respectable Democrats who en-
rolled themselves IN the County movement
last spring, hoping that it would break
the power of Tammany and estab-
lish a more reputable organization in its
place, must by this time see that they have
been made dupes and fgure-heads for the
schemes of lot of unprincipled politicians
whose quarrel with Tammany grows out of
their failure to get what they want from 1t.
For their own credit they should quit the
concern without further delay. A Reform"