Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-11-05

hulCl lAdu lubOllloi anu OAbNi hht w
velopment.
But the Mugwump takes little
note of that. He only knows that
while proclalming himself the best
Republican in the country, he finds
himselfapparently the intimate and
trusted friend of an administration
which he refuses to believe Demo
cratic, because he and his limited
faction helped to elect it by giving
to Mr.. Cleveland by a close vote
the state of New York. In fact the
Mugwump, being too good a Re-
publican, according to his own
statement, to vote for the candl'
dates of his party for whom five
millions and half Of Republicans
voted, sustains President Cleve-
land, "because Cleveland is better
than his party" And yet FIVE mil
hons of Democrats voted for Mr.
Cleveland as Democratic candi-
date for the presidency-in fact
several hundred thousand more
than five millions, for the popular
vote for Blaine Appropriated very
closely that given for Cleveland
In brief, while the great mass OF
Democrats were voting for their
party's candidate, Cleveland, and
the great mass of Republicans voted
for their party's candidate, Blaine,
the Mugwump took advantage OF
the close fight to give his few thou
sands of votes in a doubtful but all
important state to betray the party
he protested allegiance to, IN order
to elect the candidates of a party
whichsle affects to abhor.
Probably no recent dream OF alb.
sOlutely accomplished human re.
generation can be adduced which
will equal the Mugwump's view of
his own virtues. The Pharisee was
so much better than the publican
who begged Gods mercy, that he
thanked God for his wisdom in
creating such n perfect thing as the
Pharisee. "For a pretence make
long prayers" applies always to the
Pharisee in politics who holds HIM
self too good for contact with his
fellow.citizens. But the Mugwump
Of to-day is the Pharisee Of DID,
Among his choicest pretences is
Civil-Service Reform. He does
not believe in Democrats, and he
distrusts Republicans naturally be.
cause he has sold them out. With.
out political allegiance or party
fealty, lie pushes his companion.
ship upon a President who prOba.
bly, would gladly be rid of him, but
who finds himself bound by prom.
Uses not to be disregarded although
exacted in the exigencies Of des-
perate struggle tor the Office he
holds. Although the Mugwump is
nuisance and a fraud, yet just so
long as he shall be tolerated in pc.
htical calculation, he will be a fac
tor in politics. And just so long
will he be an injury to healthy po'
ltcal thought, because he will il.
lustrate the capacity Of sham to
win success and Of pretension to
command recognition.
The greatest of mistakes is to sup.
pose that good Republicans who do
not believe themselves either better
or worse than good Democrats, have
any more sympathy than their pc.
litical opponents with the shams
and pretensions of the Mugwumps.
Long before the next Presidential
election shall be held, there will be
abundant disavOwal Of sympathy
with the pretensiOn that no party is
good enough to furnish cOngenial
association for men who Inasquer.
ade under assumptions Of disinter-
ested advocacy of a superior civil
administration while they are the
champions Of ideas altogether alien
to American traditions and inter
ests.
1t is not an unfair or forced view
Of the future just ahead of us that
neither party will seek prominence
in advocating the Civil-Service
views of the Mugwump, which, even
if they we're honestly entertained,
would be only the gush of optim-
lists. There are indications that
President Cleveland will be driven
to abandon the mere abstraction
upon which the Mugwump profess
es to support him and yet apollo
gizes to the world for sympathy
with a president even called Demo
cratic. Governor Hill, the chief. if
not only rival of the President, for
nominations by the next Democrat
&c National Convention, derides Civ.
ilService Reform, except as means
of electing Democrats to office. SO,
too, Hon. Dan Lockwood, Mr.. Cleve-
lands recent appolntee to the Dis
trict AttorneyshIp of Northern New
York, a gentleman who has been
the intimate friend of the president
in all his fights from sheriff to pres
ident, scornfully repudiates sympa-
thy with Civil.Service Reform,
In the deluge of contempt for
mock reform and for political Phari-
seeism what is to be the Mug
wump's fatel Nobody cares but the
Mugwump himself Despised by
the party he betrayed, repudiated