New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-14
THE YEyr DEWOCRATIC SAINT

One of the most interesting signs OF the pres
ent period is the manifest purpose of the
Democratic party to make hagiology OF Its
OWN. The saints and saints days OF the Re-
public. the Colonial and Revolutionary heroes,
and the great anniversaries of the Nation have
never seemed sufficient to that party. They
were ALWAYS longing for saints and saints
days of their own for partisan celebrations, and
DAYS to which they might lay special and ex-
elusive claim. They began with Jackson. lie
filed the first niche in their temple. They
raised him to it because lie seemed in all re-
spects-from the cjrn-cOb pipe i'll which he
found his highest sensual delight to the Wig
o1ous BY the Eternal " with W hich he cmpha-
sized his highest intellectual eXprcssiOn-thc
ideal representative OF the coarse hbre, the
tough. brawny substance and the downright
carncstncss of an everyday Democracy. They
wIote his name upon their banners; they en-
rolled themselves in Jacksonian Clubs; they
celebrated the Sth OF January with as much
zeal and enthusiasm as the average citizen
ave 10 the commemoration of the Declaration
of Iudcpcndcncc OH the Fourth of July. 1t
WAS not for his intellectual power or Drlliance,
not as statesman. orator or scholar, but Tor his
unyielding stubbornness and oOstlnacy-the
brute force with which he oyerlOde obstacles
and pursued his predetermined purposc-that
they canonzed him.
The period Of that particular phase Of Demo-
cratic hagoatry having passed, there sue
,ecdcd another marked by a somewhat higher
form of worship. The aDothcOsIs of brain fol-
lowed that of Drawn To the niche next
jackson they hosted the canOnized Jefferson;
ST. Thomas with the scroll stood beside st.
Andrew with the sword. The JellcrsOnian
succeeded the JacksOnlan Democracy. Turn
ing from the figure OF the man on horseback
who had earned their gratitude and admiration
by the robust energy with which he carried
on partisan warfare and the brutal candor with
which he ordered the apportiOnment of spols,
they bowed themselves at the shrine of the
new saint, to whom they gave the chief glory of
having laid the foundations of the Republic,
and whom they idealized as the philosopher
and statesman not merely of his own but OF
all time. They called themselves by his name,
they celebrated his birthdays, they ate and
drank, sang, danced and pronounced windy
orations to his memory. Hardly daring to
undertake to steal from the brow of Washing
ton the tide of Father of his Country" they
decorated him with what they conceived to be
the higher title of Father of the Democratic
Party" Upon hundreds of festive occasions
and with mulutudinous libations they have
pronounced him immaculate; i'll innumel able
debates in Congress- in the press and upon the
stump they have appealed to his opinions as
the very highest authority and set mp his judg-
ment upon all disputed questions of govern
ment or of constitutional construction as abso-
lutely infallible.
SO there are two inches in the Democratic
temple already filed. And the question is,
Who next7 Who of all the great leaders of
the party who have figured cOnspcuously in
the past twenty years shall go up beside
Jefferson AS the representative Democrat of
this period The imagination wandeIs over
vast array of names. 1t passes by jefferson
Davis as inclgible it dismisses Samuel Cox
as too fresh it fingers a moment on Horatio
Seymour, but he unfortunately represents
nothing sufficiently definite; and pausing
moment over John Kelly and Samuel j. Til
den it sets one against the other and leaves
both out Who then goes up beside Jefferson
Is there not one man above all others entitled
To that Mace and does not the recent ami