New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-25
0N TILL.

In November 1t was decided lH'i1 tle DO'i'
cratic party should be tested by four years oil
executive power. Many assertions in Its DehaIi
had been made by its friends. and many charges
against it by its foes. 1t was decided to give
the party a trial.
Is President Cleveland aware that he is buslly
engaged at present in furnishing proof that the
charges against the Democratic party were es-
sentaly true Perhaps he thinks not; per-
haps he does not care. 1t Is more than Hkey
that he, in common with many other Democratic
politicians is governed by the belief that the
people are too ignorant to understand what Is
done, and can be duped with ease to any extent
so long as the needful cant about reform Is Kept
up. But he may well remember that his per-
formances will be reviewed next winter by the
Senate. There will be full discussion of his
purposes and methods and the people, Informed
by such discussion, may prove much more intel
igent than Mr.. Cleveland suppo>es.
Democratic leaders and advocates declared
last fall that the party was as thoroughly loyal
as any other party that it never had any SYM
pathy with rebellion, and detested dlsloyal the
cries. Some persons believed these assertions.
Next winter there will be drawn up roster OF
the persons selected for honor and trust by the
Democratic Administration, and the country
will be invited to observe how many of them
were loyal and how many disloyal. The ques-
ton will be asked whether there were not in the
Democratic party any loyal men who were com
netent IN fill the places which have been given
to men noted only for disloyalty. 1t VIII be
shown that there are such loyal Democrats Dut
that they were thrust aside, in great number
of cases, to make place for persons destitute OF
experience, Of especial qualifications, or OF any
other claim whatever except active dlslOyaily.
Even among many who were dislOyal, it will be
shown, the preference was given to those who
had been most obstinate and unrepentant-
those whose conduct or utterances had been
most odous.
1t will be shown, too that the party has man
ifestednomore respect for loyalty in a present
than in an historical sense; that 1t has honored
and trusted host of men who have been, even
to this day, conspicuous in armed and bloody
resistance to laws of the United States which
were designed to protect the constitutional
rights of citizens. The chairman of that meet
ing of Copiah County Democrats, for instance
is as truly rebel as were any WHO followed
Lee or Beauregard; the murder OF Matthews
because of his defence of United States laws
was as truly an act of rebellion against the
United States as the firing on Fort Sumter !;
and IA recognized leader in the conspiracy which
led to that act of rebellion is now carefully
selected by the Democratic Administration to
be honOred earlier than any other citizen OF
that county.
This is but one Of the issues on which Mr..
Cleveland is supplying testimony to support
the charges of his opponents. What he calls
Reform" will appear to be, in very many cases,
the shameless prostitution of the public service
to the base uses of partsanship. 1t will be
shown that in character, as in experience and
efficiency, the men he has chosen thus far aver
age far below those who have been displaced
and that some of his selections have been 50
shamefully bad as to disgrace the public service
as it has not previously been disgraced for
twenty five years. Unless his performances
change wonderfully very soon, Mr.. Cleveland
will discover next winter that he has done more
TO destroy public confidence in the Democratic
party than any other Democrat since the days
of James Buchanan.