The Washington critic., 1886-07-20
"IFs AND ANs.n

favor of a new party The editor is
thoroughly dissatisfied with the De-
mocracy because OF It's failure to re-
form the revenue and Of course he
takes no stock In the Republicans be-
cause they do not propose to let go OF
high tariff. Therefore the Million
wants new party, without any IFS
or ans about it. That looks like
modest and reasonable want on the face
Of 1t, but we can assure our esteemed
contemporary that in point Of prepos-
terousness and impracticability it is
equivalent to wanting the earth.
The attentive student of American
politics will soon discover that while
there have been many parties in the
United States since the organization of
the Government, all of them with more
or less well-defned principles of action,
history fails to record one solitary po-
litical organization that had no "ifs or
ans in Its makeup, or that under GER
tain contingencies did not trim to sub
serve its own interests.
The Democratic party, which went
to pieces in 1860, presents the most
notable example of consistent adher.
ence to the compacts of the constitu-
tion of any other party in the annals
of The country, but its record was one
of compromises and concessions in or
der to keep the breath of its nationality
alive. When concession and compro-
mise became fruitless TO save, 1t eX-
ploded like a shell with the contentious
fury of Its incompatible elements.
The Democratic party as at present
constituted is what might be called n
surprise party, in having elected a
President. 1t isa party of excellent
motives, however, and has great mis-
sion before it, which is to carry the
Presidential election of 1888 and ulti-
mately sit down on the civil service
law. OF course, there are a good many
'ifs and ans in the way.
The Republican party has been re-
markably loyal to itself and stands now
just about where it stood at the close
of the war so far as class legislation is
concerned and in all sectional aspects;
but when it comes to the manipulation
of campaign politics it panders to
special interests and prejudices with
as much alacrity and as little compunc-
tfon as the old time Democracy ever
Ibid to the peculiar institutions of the
South. 1t is political human nature to
do SO. Politics is a game and not a re-
ligion.
A party such as the Milton proposes
with neither an "if nor an an, !" is all
well enough in the ideal view Of pol
tics, but we can conceive of nothing 50
wearisome as the long wait for succc )
of an organization which shall ind =
take TO hew straight path through lc
wilderness of its own hobbies to tIe
open sunshine of their realization, by
any different processes from thosJ of
other political bodies.
Nor is this necessarily depressing
view of the situation. In a popular
government, the rivalry of parties be-
gets competitive methods that are es-
sential to political warfare, or, at least,
have come to be so considered. In
other words, they have all, more or
less, TO be governed by the caprices or
whims, the local diversities and honest
differences of the dear people. They
musttrim their sails to catch variety of
breezes; and we would suggest 10 our
friend of the Milton that any new
party which he may elect to organize,
especially if the ultimate adoption OF
free trade into the policy of the United
States be his object, must be built upon
the same general plan as other parties
and operated in the same general way,
or he will 60 down to the grave with
the ignis fatuus of his ambition as far
as ever from his grasp. Wherefore, a:
there is no special need of a new party,
we should advise him to do the best he
can towards revenue reform through
existing political agencies, content "a
wait upon the shifting phases of pub
lie sentiment and the adroitness of the
free-trade politicians, for the genera
evolution Of his scheme. Nothing Il
more certain than that Ns long as h,
remains in politics he must keep OIL
good terms with tho "ifs and ans.