Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-11-05
Adllrdstcr fntclltgcnrer.
SATURDAY EVENING, NOV. s, 1881
Already Answered by Events.


Already Answered by Events.
The Philadelphia Press asks Mr..
Wolfe to answer, at the PHILADELPHIA
meeting tonight, a string of questions
which all are cOndensable into one. and
that is, whether, granting all Wolfe's al
legations to be true, lie is justified as a
Republican in opposing the regular
ticket when the result is likely to elect
tie Democratic nominee. 1t is the ques-
tlol which has been sticking in the
throat OF the Pryss all along, and the
only one it sees being itself, according
to its published utterances, rs strongly
disposed to condemn the things in its
party that Wolfe condemns rs he is him
self. Its difference with him is on the
question of eXpediency. 1t does not
think the honest, straightforward course
of opposition to the death to wrong
i'll its party to lie the proper
one, but considers it the part of wisdom
to submit for a time, in the hope of re-
dressing its grievances i'm the future
within the party lines. 1t is the ordi-
nary idea of the ordinary politician :;
and its wisdom depends entirely upon
the gravity of the occasion which excites
to rebellion. IL the wrong justifies it,,
then the honest and best policy is to
boldly seek redress before the people, us
Wolfe is doing.
Either 10y superior sagacity or superior
luck, no doubt now exists as to his hay
ing taken the right course i'm making his
rebellion. 1t is quite certain now that
he will he SO strongly supported in it, by
the voters of his party, us to make him
an independent power in the state.
able to dictate Ills terms to his party.
lie will lie too strong for it to live with
out and Ee assumes 1T once Il position
of command in its councils His success
III leading an army of voters behind his
single battle flag is I. sufficient answer TO
the query of the Press IS to whether he
was justified i'll doing us he did. lie eSatis-
lied demand of his party associates; they
sustain him in his action he has cstab-
lished Il Wolfe party, and with it takes
away the dominance over state politics
which, but for IT, would have fallen
again TO the men who have for SO many
years exercised it. lie has shown these
men that he is not of the submissive
kind, and that he has Il strong party he
hind him to sustain him. He cassumcs the
position of master instead of that of
tot ,c ,;t
prevailing for years and which bid fair
to continue for years more under such
pusillanimouS leadership us that of the
Press. Wolfe has been Il revelation to
the politicians, and whether from good
Judgment or good luck, his bold Shaft
has struck the centre. The Press man
might have been with him to share tie
glory which now crowns him alone, and
which the success that rewards his au-
dacity brings him.
TOIuestiOn Wolfe ut this period of his
canvass as to his justification for Il re-
volt, which is shown to he I; revolt of
the Republican voters, is simply silly.
No doubt it would bc agreeable 10 the
editor of the Press to have Mr.. Wolfe
occupy himself with other things in his
speech tO-nigh: than the reading of
Press editorials in answer to Smith ora
tions. And it is ingenious enough, in this
view, to seek to transfer the controversy
from the truth of the charges against the
Republican bosses to the question of the
cXpediency Of resisting them outside the
party lines. But it is quite too late to
raise that question, when it is already
demonstrated that the party lines are
knocked into Il cooked hat. So many
Republicans arc with Wolfe that it is
difficult TO see on which side of
the worm fence of division lies
the biggest part of the party.
Successful rebellion is revolution
and WOlfe's rebellion is certainly sue
ceSSful in its demonstration of the large /,
number of influential Republican voters
who follow his banner a demonstration |
the more striking and significant from
the fact that his following is the spol-
taneouS impulse of the individual voter,
dcfying the restraining hand of the pol.
iticians who laughed to scorn the un
dcrtaking at its outset, and can scarcely
realize today that it is destined to scat
ter the regular army-horse, foot and
dragons us well the old soldiers OF the
machine, us the unwilling militia who
were pressed with wry faces into the ser
vice to g. fight inside the party lines
AQueer Set Of Editors.