New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-22
WR4T THEY REALLY ARE DOING.


WHAT THEY REALLY ARE DOING.
The Scotch bard who desired above all things
the power to see ourselves as others see us
has not many imitatOrs among the gentlemen
who choose to be called independents III
would not please them, aSSurcdly, to see exactly
what other folks think of their performances.
The fact that some of these gentlemen are filled
with sincerity, and fully believe that the Ark OF
the Covenant is ntrusJed to their sole charge
and keeping. does not alter the case. Some OF
the most ridiculous objects on earth are those
victims of hallucinaton who fancy that the
world would cease to rcvolvc the right way on
its axis if they should stop turning an lma@I-
nary crank. The American nation Is not really
quite as destitute of virtue or common sense ~
these gentlemen believe aud their assumption
of superior integrity aud wisdom. though at
times a little irritating, is generally regarded
with hall-cOntemptuOuS amusement.
These elevated persons, rs BELTS the cloudy
IL gons in which they move, are a little hay III
their aims If they were not they would not
be quite So sure that they do not want Mr..
| Blaine. For the Democratic nomination hJ'
not been made as yet. Wecrc1t them with
enough of patriotic feeling and uprightnesS 10
resent and Instantly rcpcl some nominations
that might be made If they should have pre-
sontcd to them, by the Democratic Convention,
| n candidate of the Butler pattern, for instance,
they would instantly prefer Mr.. Blaine III their
hearts. whatever pride Of opinion might move
their tongues to say. Nor would they deceive
themselves aS to the practical effect OF what they
call a Republican revolt" If it has any effect,
il is to elect the Democratic candidate Th0erer
he man be. l. that exactly position which con-
scicutiOuS aud patriotic men can mean To take
Have these gentlemen considered what they
are going to doq OF course they Will answer
! Indignantly that they have; but have they
| DO they want to eject another Democratic Con
Crcss? If they can get mp enough Republican
di,aitectiOn to defeat the Republican electoral
ticket, it would inevitably carry in a Demo
cratic majority in the House and Democratic
Legislatures in some States which have Sena-
tors to elect. Doubtless these gcnt,tmen would
shrink from such consequences, but they cannot
| help themselves. If they were powerful enough
| to break down the Republican party this year,
| they. would simply transfer the control OF the
| Government in all its branches to the Demo-
cratic party. not to a new, ideal party, created
| and oAircrcd by themselves. TO this same
| Democratic party which has been showing the
country for seven months how much capacity it
| has. how much honesty, how much dccency, and
| how much disposition toward any reform.
The gentleman who is ready to elect any
| Democratic candidate, no matter who may be
! nominated and to turn over the Government to
| the Democratic party Just is it is, has no right
! to honor himself with the name OF Republican,
nor vet with the name Of Independent. If he
VIII consider it rightly he is really more hide
| bound and brass-mounted than many Demo-
| crats-for there are a great many III that party
who would account it disgrace to pledge
| themselves to aid any conceivable candidate
that a National Convention may name. Yet
| these gentlemen who are striving to denOunce
| Mr.. Blaine so savagely as to insure his defeat
do not appear to care what sort OF candidate
they may turn out to have helped. Is this sort
of thing rightly called independence by any
body} There are thousands upon thousands OF
Democratic voters who show more real in
dependence, and more patriotic feeling, than
this course displays.
If the Democrats nominate candidate OF one
class, these revolving gentlemen will have
bought pig in a poke they will be pledged III
advance to support man of whose opinions,
motives and real character they know abso-
lutely nothing. Is that patriotic attitude for
professed reformers II the Democrats nomi-
nate another kind of candidate, these gentlemen
will have 10 support just such a man as they
have stouuy opposed for twenty five years-an
old-fa,hioned, out-and-out, pro-slavery, pro-
rebel Democrat, without a decent chance OF
majority in "a single Northern State DO they
hope, in that case, to put up a candidate OF their
own2 Perhaps they have been able to find the.
man who would run. Mr.. Edmunds and Mr..
Lincoln would not; they are supporting the
Republican ticket. SO is Senator IIawlcy and
50 is General Gresham. Will headlcSs " In
dencudcnt movement look well