New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-13
PARTISINSHIP.

II is no new thing to hear the partisanship
of others savagcly denounced by the meaDest
and most malignant of all partisans. SO when
"The Newly ork Times imagincs that con-
siderate and thoughtful men, and especially
young men, arc repealed by Republican par
tisanship the calm and dispassionatc observer
at once remembers that the jaundiccd eye,
"to which all order festers,' is natural conse-
auence of ranking losses and the dcbasing
consciousness of treachery that the new con-
vert usually takes the most extreme and one
sided view of things, in his anxiety to cloak
his shame with the gratitude of new associates
and that "The Tines is not capable OF reallz-
ing how INSCRIPTIONS and malignant Is the
partisan feeling which binds a little knot OF
free-trade boilers TO President Cleveland.
Until the past few years, the most violent
and the meanest partisanshp known in modern
American history has been that of the party
which defended slavery, excused rebellion,
and was deservedly whipped for its SINS. The
question is one of facts No dispassionate OBJ
server has failed to ask where else in all the
land there have been such displays of emblt-
tered and INSCRIPTIONS partisanshlp as have
been seen among Southern Democrats who
have lea gued themselves together to whip.
beat, terrorizo and assassinatc for partisan
ends. Nowhere in this country have Rcpub-
licans, or men of any other party whatever,
deliberately set themselves TO cut of the lead
crs of an opposing party by murder. No other
party has banded itself in secret leagues, for
the purpose of perpetrating with impunity
deeds Of blood in the cause Of party. No other
party has led upright merchants, reputable
business men, distinguished clergymcn, to
countenance and excuse political forgeries and
murders. No other party has resorted to the
s;uling of ballot-boxes and the forgery of re-
turns, as the customary means OF securing
political success in entire States of the South
and in many Northern cities.
These are facts so well known that no impair
tial historian, who has sought illustrations OF
the extrcmtics to which embittercd and crazy
partisanship may carry men otherwise decent
has failed to find them in the conduct of Demo-
orats in this country since the civil war The
Republican party came out of that struggle
with a more absolute power than any other
party in this country ever possessed. Acting
strictly within the law, it could have revcnged
itself upon all its foes; il could have hanged
thousands of its most influential opponents.
Instead, it pardOned all who asked pardon.
In all human history there cannot be found
in example Of such magnanimity and gener-
osity as were shown to defeated traitors and
their assistants and accomplices by the Rcpub-
lican party of the United States. The contrast
between the two organizations, in this particu-
lar. has continued most marvellous. For even
after Democratic crimes for patys sake had
been increasingly perpetrated for twenty years,
still the prevailing disposition Of Republicans
was to trust that the satisfaction of political
victory, and the return of material prosperity
would extnguish the fires of malignant par
tisanship at the South, and put an end to
crimes for party's sake.
Within the past four years, however, even
the matchless record of the Democratic party
for extreme partisanship has been rivalled by
many of those who pretended consuming
zeal for reform in 1884. The Democratic
crimes which they had not courage to commit
these persons have excused and defended with
shamelessness hardly to be found among
Democrats themselves. Processing to want
Civil Service Reform. they have seen the pub
lie service rapidly transformed into partisan
machine by the President of their choice, and
have not ceased to lick his boots IN aduation
Men disgracefully unfit in every other respect
have been appointed to Office, solely because
their malignant partisanship had found express
sion in the basest crimes, and these so-callcd
reformers have still bowed down and wor-
shipped. There has not been found an untruth
so glaring and gross that they would not tell
it in behalf OF Mr.. Cleveland, or against the
party they deserted Mcaner lies than they