The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-11-15

take TO preserve or return rejected commtnicd- |
tfons. Contributors or correspondents rho n,op |
desfre 10 possess their manuscripts, u unused |
should Keep copp
Some ill-disciplined sheets in the Demo- |
cratic ranks are trying TO reflect upon Presi |
dent Cleveland by bringing up quotations |
from "Old Hickory" who seems to obscure |
entirely their view OF the calmer teachings |
of jefferson. President jackson, though he |
did not say "To the victors belong the |
"spoils,'' undoubtedly wrote many things |
which sounded very much like that fine |
old bucoaneeriug sentiment. He spoke |
about "rotaton in ofice,' "an entire |
"change of office-holders," and the cen |
croachments of authority endeavoripg TO |
" render its leases and privileges lifelong or
hereditary" in a style to make civil ser
vice reiormer of to-day smile or grieve. But |
it must be remembered that Jackson came |
into Office smarting under previous defeat |
in the Electoral College and the House of |
Representatives largely brought about 10y the |
efforts of the oftice-holders aud their friends,
who clung to the established order and |
dreaded the rude soldier. He had been de- |
nounced and insulted by them in the most
outrageous way, and could scarcely be
blamed if he regarded every Adams ap-
pointee as personal enemy. Yet it was a
serious undertaking to upset the conservative
methods in the civil service established by
Washington, continued by jefferson, and
grown stronger during the "era of good
"feeliDg." Even Jackson felt obliged TO
cover the work of personal retribution
under glittering generalities which re-
remain the only possible texts the spokesman
can find TO preach from in the history of the
Government. Moreover, the civil list in
Jackson's day was comparatively small
affair, and Z" clean sweep" meant little ex-
cept,to the unfortupates turned out. Now the
Government is vast and complex machine,
which is easily deranged by raw workmep,
the list of places is prodigious, and of appli-
capts for them still more SO. President
Cleveland stands comparison we'll with the
true points of Jackson's greatness. The dis
regard Of the money power which shone
forth in Iackson's warfare on the United
States Bank reappears in Clevelaud's expul-
eion of the cattle kings from the Indian Ter
ritory. The frmness of Jackson's stand
against notification is paralleled by CIeve-
lands enforcement of the treaty rights of the
Chinese. When it comes to the matter of
the offices Cleveland is swayed by little or
none Of the personal resentment reused in
jackson, and follows jefferson, who advo-
Gated fair division of Offices among the par
ties, not Marcy, who tried to make out of
them partisan " machine, - which promptly
broke down under Martin Van Buren, as
coon as the force of Jackson's popularity was
withdrawn from it.
II is very we'll to dance on the so-called
Mugwumps now that they are down, but it
must at the same time be remembered that
something greater than the Mugwumps still
remains undiminished and is to be reckoned
with in future elections. That something is
what may be called, in default of better
name, the floating vote of the State of New
York. 1t is plain that the anti-Blaine
Nessrs. Curtis, Schurz, Beecher, and others,
does not control this vast and shifting guam
tity, but it is equally plain that the De-
mocracy likewise does not, otherwise it would
never have lost any elections in the State.
This vote is probably the result of the long
sway Of the spOils system in New York poll
tics, both State and city, giving rise to null
titude of factions and personal followings,
who are always ready to 81 bolt " openly or
knit" secretly any candidate who does
not promise to consider their " claims"
The result OF this also has been to disgust
the public at large with the lea Of politi
clans who are all for place aud not for prin
ciple, and to expose the hollowness Of the
pirate about fidelity to party" by men who
vote against their own part, at the slghtes
provocation. Hence the tremendous fluctu
ations which give the Democracy nearly two
hundred thousand majority one year and
only eleven hundred in another year, til,
loss OF the State to Hancock. the great in
crease Of the Prohibition vote, which ha
come to be Cave of Adullam for the respect
oUic uisoohtChhCI1 ouu othci pucuuuucut
with which we are all familiar. To add t
the confusion, elections in New York are
tug Of war across Harlem Bridge, in whicl
the body of the State tries TO pull the Demo
cratic islands over the line, and the island
pull the other way. Whichever contestan
is weakened by deiections or failure to pull
together loses the match. Such being tn
case, the management OF New York polite
is task Of great delicaey and difficulty, an
it is likely to remain so for an indefnit
time to come, for the success of one year aI
psrently adds to the dangers of the next.
The paragraphs which have appeared il
various quarters to the effect that the stree
railroad companies are considering the ques
tion Of abolishipg the tickets and returnin
to fve-oent fares il perhaps in the nature
feeler," thrown out to see how such
measure would take. II the public coul
be compelled to submit tamely to the chang,
it would certainly enable the companies
increase their dividends. AS the oppositio
to the laying of additional tracks across IL
city east aud west is probably insurmount
bile, the two companies, which are nov pra
tieally under one management, have SUI
monopoly, and with no competition to fea
any increase of fares will be clear gain
their stockholders. But it would be wi
for the managers 10 take into accoun. Il
fact that any attempt to advance fares won
inevitably lead to a renewed and vigoro
agitation in favor Of Congressional regul
tion of our street r, ilways and their trafi
Perhaps this would take the form of compe
ling them TO give passenger seat befo
sxacting fare, TO run cars all night, to p
conductors on the onehorse ears, and
other ways improve the service. Possib
in the end the companies would regret tb
they had not let well enough alone, al