The Republican journal., 1885-01-08
A Change of Base.

Before the late election the Democratic press
was wild for REFORM The orator caught up the
cry, and the whole party echoed and repeated it
until good many of its impressionable men,
bers really appeared as if they thought they
were actually honest and meant what they said.
The mistake was natural enough. considering
that the party has for twenty-four years been
peevish fault finder dressed up in Republican old
clothes, never having had an idea, purely, simp-
ly, and fundamentally its own, since it originated
the brilliant scheme of secession in 1860. Since
then it has periodically thrown itself into utter
collapse bya sort of guerilla opposition to what
ever thing the Republicans happened at the
time to be urging, barely being able to get on
its legs again, to say amen in their next Presi-
Dental platform to the fact demonstrated from
that theory. They do not by any means furnish
the first example of those who. having nothing
cl,e to do, amuse themselves by grumblng at
whatever is and ought to be. until they end by
believing that right is wrong and wrong is right.
But we neither read nor hear of reform now
a-days. Alas, the love of country has somehow
OoZed out of these fellows. The press is after
patronage; the patriots are after postoffices;
the party is after pap They are no longer con-
sidering how they can best take care of the
country and its important interests, but how
the country can best take care of them. In the
anti election party all were statesmen, all were
honest. all were refOrmerS, but to-day there are
signs of doubt, of depravity. Rival place
hunters have already discovered incompetency
in oh al Fl, nj .,t HING
worse, whereas the erst while friend and broth
err was the embodiment, the essence, of wisdom
and honor. There really ought to be something
done; for as matters are now going on they Will
be calling each other idiots or rascals before the
day of inauguration. 1t will never do for the
party of reform to acknowledge that it is want
ing either in competency or probity, especially
as we have always claimed it to be lacking in
both Now and then we hear of IL Democrat,
who in moment of lucidity rises to ask of the
country that it will excuse the wrangling of the
"boys." and their Impotence to get in and warm
their toes. and tell us to wait until after Mr..
Cleveland takes the helm. and then we shall see
the Ship of State sailing on the calm sea of
prosperity. They don't want to announce their
policy Just vet. but there is good time coming
-Jetfersonian purity and simplicity, harmony,
peace, economy-in short, reform.
Now everybody (including the DemocratS)
knows that this great flourish about reform is
pure buncombe. Everybody understands that
the whole line of policy of the Democratic
party for the next four years is all marked out
and may be expressed in three words: In
trench. fortify, investigate The first thing they
will do after getting fairly settled in power
will be to appoint partisan committees 10 over
haul every department of the government. II
the committees happen to come across any
thing they fail to comprehend, and the chances
are they will. then the Democratic press is tC
herald fraud. and abuse the head of that par
ticuur department, his subordinates and the
Republicans in general. Taking into accoun,
their natural aptitude for this kind of work in
addition to the practice they have had in the
immediate past, we confidently expect Their, tC
Guido all former efforts. Not being harmonious
in regard to many of the great questions of The
I times and being in the wrong where they art
4 agreed it is useless to expect any display Of
craftsmanship, or the enactment of any bene
fetal laws, or any settled policy whatever, eX
cept disorganization, SANDER and spois.