The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-06-20
REPUBLICANIsM FROM DIFFER-
ENT sTANDPOINTS.

The nomination of Melville W. Full
Ter to be Chief Justice of the United
States Supreme Court is still hanging
up in the room of the judiciary COM
mittee of the United States Senate.
Everybody who pretends to keep posted
regarding political national events
knows the reason why; the others,
most of whom doubtless comprehend
the theory of our government aud have
at least school-acquired knowledge OF
its practices, will not be 30 well in
formed for the very good and sui
Aicient reason that politicians of the
partisan Republican stripe have a
habit of reversing all cherished pre-
cedents and setting at naught our best
traditions for the sake of temporary
success. Those who have not studied
the mechanism by means of which the
Republicans in emergencies tide over
a presently unfortunate condition, and
look Wonderingly at the groundwork
of our system in the vain expectation OF
finding a basis for it, are doubtless more
patriotic than skilled, but their hon
estyis too good g quality to be slight
ingly treated and thus perhaps lost;
and with the thought that soma such 4
persons may perchsnCe run against this
issue of TEE HERALD (the regular
readers are always posted), We offer
few explanatory suggestions.
To begin with, the name "Repabli-
can party" is paradox. Its mission
has of recent years been, is now and
so long ss the organization lasts
will be the demolition of the
groundwork of repubIicanism. That
word means the rule of. the majority
through duly chosen and properly
qualified representatives.; its party
meaning is the capture OF the ofices for
the purpose of having them for revenue
only, predominance in public affairs at
no matter what loss Of blood, treasure
or principle, holding over through
treachery and holding on through
kna7ery, and the complete sub
version of the popular will
by means of strict party dis
cipline among the better informed
and appealing to fear, superstition and
hate among the ignorant. This is, in
fine, the Republican party of the period
and the reason it does not permit its
majority in the Senate to confirm q
wise and proper nomination for re
spousible and lofty position is because,
primarily, it cen do SO. and seoendarily,
because it still cherishes q faint hope
of success at the coming November
election, and in that event the place
could be kept vacant until the President
elect became the President in fact, on
the 4th of next March, and he would
of course, send in the name of Repub-
lican, whose nomination would be a
stantly confirmed. If, however, Cleve-
land should be chosen his own success
sor, they could at once, or as soon
thereafter as practicable, take ths nomi-
nation of Mr.. Fuller from the pigeon
hole in which it is gradually becoming
mouldy, confirm it with a rush, and
then call the oountry's attention
to the fact that other business preceded
that in hand, and when they could get
to it they sent it through with a rush,
thus illustrating how utterly devoid of
partisanship and ssl6shness they are
when dealing with high judicial and
therefore any other office! This is prac-
tical RepublicaRiam, homeIy but truth
July depicted.
Nobody, even the mcst extreme
among the Republican politicians, pre-
tends to say that Mr.. Fuller is not
honest, cApable and At. But what OF
that? Many of them knew at the
time, as great many of them have
since admitted, that Samuel J. Tilden
was greater, better and more ex-
perienced man than Rutherford B.
Hayes; and some of them went beyond
this and plainly admitted that the
former was fairly elected. But the
tri6ing circumstances of fitness, ability
and election count for precious little
with the Republican party when it is in
power and has even a shadow of an
excuse to hang on by. The managers
OF that party have shown time and
sgain that they will scruple at nothing
for success or continuance in Office,
whether it be destroying ballots in
Louisiana. South Carolina and Florida
or getting down to such low-liysd and