National Republican., 1885-10-07
Docs Il Menn a spIIt2

The San Francisco Chronicle, which comes
nearer being entirely independently politics
than any other newspaper in the United
States, discusses the New York situation
and It's relations to President Cleveland In
a commercially candid spirit. 1t finds that
"both Davenport and Hill are respectable
men with nothing against them" but that
the platforms Of the two great parties In
the Empire state "dilTer essentially on what
is becoming q live issuc-civil service re-
folm. The Republicans indorse reform un-
equivocaly; the Democrats approve It in
principle but condemn It in practice" A
careful study of the proceedings Of the Dem
ccTats at Saratoga and various events ante
dating the convention has convinced the
Chronicle that
The civil service reform plank in the Demo.
cratic platform was the result of II compromise
between Democrats who arc frankly In favor
Of reform and spoils Democrats who arc ns
frankly opposed to it, aud like most compro.
mscs ofthc kind 1t Is n stultifying selfcontradlc.
tion, like pnyne's Ohio tariff compromise,
The Chronicle then goes on to discuss,
in speculative vein, the "curious di-
lemman in which the Democratic party is
placed. 1t thinks that President Cleve-
lands recent letter to Mr.. Eaton, read In
conjuction with the Christmas letter to Mr..
Quits, places the President ''much nearer
TO the Republican party than to his own
ON the question Of civil service.
This is self-eyidently and undeniably
true, so true and SO important that the
Mugwump papers in New York arc not
without fair ground for their claim that the
election OF Hill would be rebuke TO Cleve-
land. The Chronicle agrees with the New
York Times and Evening Post In the opin-
| ion that "if the chief issue of the contest is
| TO be civil service reform, the administra-
| tion will bc indorsod by the defeat and not
| ly the triumph OF the Democratic candi-
| dates
That which other papers have limited the
| Chronicle speaks out plainly-that "Cleve-
land is gravitating toward rupture with
| powerful section of his party, II not with
the party at large" But the Chronicle is
uncertain whether or not the President is
conscious Of the impending rupture. The
article closes thuG-
In recent interview he said he expected to
be antagonized by the politicians of both par
ties, and hoped to be supported by the rank
| and file of both. This amounts to declara.
tion Of war against such Democrats as Thomas
A. Hendricks John Kelly, Dan Voorhees, and
the lile-who ure Democrats first aud citizens
ailcrward. Is he strong enough to destroy
these men, or will they destroy him? Two
Presidents IN our day have cut loose from
their party. But history does not tell us that
the experiment proved beneficial either to
| 1'tta pr IN La
1t is asserted very confidently by friends
Of the President that he is quite capable Of
carrying out bis own views on the question
of civil service reform, no matter how strong
may be the opposition of the spoilsmen.
1t is asserted-though less confidently
by leading Democrats, who believe the
masses OF the party are with them, that the
President will be compelled to yield to the
pressure, and that when he tnds he must
surrender hewill do so gracefully.
While carefully watching the progress Of
the conflict, THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,
will not be disturbed by any serious appre-
hension that second disruption Of the
Democratic party would again menace the
perpetuity of the republic.
The. causes which Induced the major wing
Of that party to make war on the national
life when the first split of the organization
occurred do not now exist. The party
might be bisected or cut into fragmentary
factions without endangering any national
interest or calling for display of the EN-
blems Of grief.
II the break should come, are the civil
service refoimers in President Cleveland's
party sufficiently numerous to present au
imposing array?
Could they not hold q national mass con
yention in an ordinary hall bedroom with,
out removing the bed?