New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-02
POLITICAL ASSESSMENTS.

More amusing III possible lDdu tlo dttCHPO
by Democrats To make party capital out oil
the passage of the River and Harbor Bill, for
which larger proportion OF Democrats than
of Republicans voted in both House and Sen
ate. is the cutlery the party leaders, orators
and newspapers are making over the assess
ment" of Republican Otceh0lderS for political
purposes. From Maine to California the party
stands aghast with rolling eyes and palms turned
outward They have just heard that Fed
eIal oflicehoders are assessed for political
purposesl Look at Jay Hubbell :" they cry,
"levying assessments on the poor oihceholders
What are we coming to if this sort OF thing
d" is permitted? The foundations of free inStl-
"tutons are in daDgerl" And they call upon
the people to rise up in their might and re
buke the abuse of power" Rebuke it how
Why, that goes without saying. by turning
Republicans ont of Office everywhere and put
ting Democrats in. TO this end and no other
are all the protests and circumstances against
the assessment of ofhcehOlders directed. 1t is
a gigantic wrong which can only be corrected
by Democrats; an evil which nothing but
Democratic ascendancy can cure.
Now it Is hardly necessary to say that The
TRIBUNE is as heartily opposed to the whole
system of assessments for political purposes as
any of these vigorous Democratic hOwlers. More
heartily, indeed, and with more sincerity, tor
| we have not hesitated to condemn 1T under Re-
! publican Administrations, while Democratic
condemnation of it never reaches the abuse
of power by their own party. Bat IHE IRIB-
| TINE knows too much of the Democratic party
and its history to look III that direction for
reform in this or any other particular. 1t has
seen many abuses corrected by Republican
Administrations, never one by Democrat c,
and it expects to see Republican AdnilnIstra-
ton make a final end Of this. But what an
empty humbug and cheat the Democratic pro-
LESSONS on this subject are If the Roman
augurs could not meet without thrustlng their
tongues in their checks, what must the Demo
cratic leaders and orators do who are making
all this ado about political assessments How
can Mr.. Hewitt meet Mr.. Cox or Mr.. Perry Bel
mont meet Mr. Roswell Flower after raising an
| indignant cutlery over political assessments
! when each one of them knows that the other
has been assessed by his party committee, and
that there is not an Office held by a Democrat
| in the country from fence-viewcr to Supreme
! Judge that is not assessed and assessed roundy.
| Could ANYTHING be more palpably absurd
| than the pretcnce of virtue these men are
| making? Nay, more, could anything be more
| dishonest7 "What,' inquiries Mr. Hewitt or
| MIR. Cox or any other of these Democratic can
! didates, when waited upon by the committee and
asked tor the political contributions which they
| have been assessed" what is the issue upon
which the committee think we should lay most
" stress in the present campaign y Imagine the
| committeeman answering with his tongue in his
! cheek, as he pockets the assessment: The
committee believe that the Republican prac-
tce of lcvying assessments upon othceholders
lis wrong and dangerous, and that II public
sentiment is thoughly awakened on the sub
g ect, a reform will be effected by Democratic
success" Out go Mr.. Hewitt and MIR. Cox
and the rest and begin declaiming against the
! iniquItous practice of assessing Oiceholders
which can only he done away with by elccting
| Democrats to Office. And they are fresh from
the payment of assessments themselves. Is this
| honest2 Why not undertake a cheat that Is
not so utterly transparent?
The Democratic party opposing political as
sessments Why there has not been Democrat
! in Office or a candidate for Office for tie past
| thirty years who has not been assessed by his
| paIty committee. And if he didn't pay his
assessment--wcll, that, they say, is what makes
Nh. William II. English, late candidate for
| Vice President, so unpopular.
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