New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-24
1fnPALS FROM RROOKLYN.

Mayor Chapin's abandonment of reform
principles in Brooklyn is one of the most useful
object lessons Of current politics. When MIR.
Lowell affirmed in Boston that for twenty
years "no thoughtful man has been able to sec
any other difference between the two great
parties which stood between him and the re-
forms he deemed essential to the wcli-belng or
the country than that the one was In and
wished to stay there and the other out and
didn't wish to stay there he repeated scnti-
ment with which Brooklyn audiences are
familiar About the time of Mayor Lows
first nomination it was generally conceded in
that quarter that there was choice between
parties in relation to the interests of local
government. Soon after his election various
Independent oraces, speaking in and out of
season. proclaimed the essential equality OF
political parties. 1t became the fashion in
ultra-rcform circles to affect cynical indifTcr-
cnce to the fortunes of either party. Gone
party is as bad as the other !" was the deliver
ance Of this school of political pessimism.
"The politicians on each side arc equally I'M
scrupulous and ntruStworthy - was an OK
clamation frequently heard from the platform.
The only practical method of cffccting munich
pal reform which these Independent en-
thusiass could suggest was policy of armed
neutrality on the part Of good citizens Neither
party was to be trusted. Every politician,
whether Republican or Democratic, was to be
suspected Of having aces in his sleeve.
This kind of talk naturally disguised good
many Republicans, who thought that their
party was Justly entitled to credit for having
nominated Mr. Low on a reform platform and
for contributing nine ont of every ten votes
cast for him. They did not take this pessm-
ism kindly, when their party had done every
thing that the most progressive rcformcr could
ask and had shown itself alive to the best
interests of the city. Some Of them were so
indignant over the persistent abuse heapcd
upon their party by these Independent scods
that they neglected to vote when Mr. Low was
rcnominated and his majority was reduced in
this way. Nevertheless the talk about " there
being no difference between the parties and
The necessity of breaking slates and smash
ing machines went on until the end Of his
term. BY this time the Independent oracle
had become a Mugwump in National politics
and had discovered that the art of "reform
politics. consisted in the occasional discovery
Of a previously unknown but altogether SUI
pcrior person and in raising turbulent out
cry for his election, come what would.
The attempt on the part of the Citizens
League two years ago to force the Republican
Convention, after four years of virulcnt abuse
to nominate the candidate of an irresponsible
group of marplots carried Mclaughlin back
into power. During Mayor Whitncys term
Brooklyn lost the distinction it had enjoyed
under Mayor Low of being city set on a hill
again rcigncd supreme. City Hall gangs in
| tested politics. Reform passed out of mems
| minds as a forgotten Issue. Then after two
years Of partisan. machine administration
| MCLAUGHLIN nominated Mr. Chaplin, a change
Of dummy being advisable. The Citizens
League. recognizing in him one Of those SUI
! pcrior persons who are better than their
parties. at once assured the city that there was
a good man named on each side that it did not
matter how anybody voted. and that while the
parties were equally open to suspicion. the
| interests of tho city were safe Mayor Chaplin
was elected on the strength of being altogether
superior TO anybody and everything in his
party. What does be do? Does he follow
| Mayor Low in a career of robust independence
and non-paTtsanship He swallows his
| pledges to tho city and meeky and submits
sivcly takes his orders from MCLAUGHLIN. He
shows himself to be partisan. time-scrvin Q
Democrat. He proves that there Is n vast
difference between electing a good Democrat
and good Republican.