New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-10-15
nryocRATIC COLLEGE PRESIDENT

|
mort its policy and vote for its
candidates in the future. Courageous, because
in the first place. he voluntarily ceased to be
a Nupwump in the sense of being "a person
Of importancen-(the real meaning of the orig
inal wold)-between two parties, ana TOO good
for either, and took his place In one OF them
lust like any ordinary citizen. Ana cou-
| raceous because in following his conVlcuons
he did not shrink when they landed him in a
party whose past history was repulsive to his
patriotic instincts, and among associates and
| surroundings at once uncongenlal ana lncOn-
ONIONS. We have sometimes thought, too, that
be exhibited the courage of self -sacrifce in
permitting himself to be put on show as the
one specimen of his class, Democratic college
president-it must be such an evaporation to
a man of fine culture and scholarly tastes to
be IA AIDED as a convert by the men whom he
has hitherto denounced for their ignorance, dis
honesty and dSloyalty. In this we may have
been mistaken. The index finger has strange
charm for even the nobleSt minds. Still wo
give him credit for courage. We did so last
wear. and commended his example to other So
called MugWumps, who, having voted the
Democratic ticket for four years, were trying
by holding on to the old name to persuade
themselves that they were Of some consequence.
And we beg to say that in our belief there
is no general objection among Republicans to
President Eliot's being a Democrat on the
ground that he is president of Harvard Uni
versity. Certain Democratic newspapers have
been putting it that way lately, and we observe
that President Eliot himself intmated as much
in a speech made at dinner of Democratic
club in Boston last Saturday afternoon. There
has been more or less comment, as was natu-
raj upOn the singuality of the circumstance,
but the absolute right of President Eliot to act
with the Democratic party and be as prominent
in il As he pleases or as his stomach will permit
is not disputed by Republican graduates of
Harvard or anybody else. Nor do we appre-
bend that gifts or deviSeS to the university will
be in the least degree affected by the political
attitude of the president. The Republican
alumni will not stint their generosity to the
institution simply because President Ehot
thinks they are upholding scandalous methods
of administering the Civil Service, or advo-
eating reckless extravaganza in the distribu-
ton of pensions or supporting for their own
selfish ends tariff policy which robs the many
for the benefit of few. The only way we can
think of by which the revenues of Harvard
can be disturbed by the attitude of its pres-
dent is in the event of the adoption by the
Government of his free-trade policy, by which
the ability of the benefactOrs to keep up the
supply will be seriously impaired through the
ruin Of their business. That is the only danger.
We would like, however, to be INDUCED in
a word or two of comment upon some of Presi-
a Il 10
above. The public questions which he had in
mind when he joined the Democratic party he
said were all national issues He proceeded
to state them On the question Of protective
duties he said he was with the Democratic
party, because of his belief that those duties
protected capital, not labor. On this point he
entered into no argument. His second point
was Civil Service Reform and here he COM
pared the record of the two parties in these
words: Have we not seen the public service
degeneIating more and more, and in these last
series Of years worse than all? Have we not
seen the Democratic administration of the pub
lie service the best we have ever hadF" Natu-
rally enough, the answer was {" dong continued
applause)." And yet we venture to say that
no calm and unprejudccd person can compare
the record of the Republican party with that
Of the last Administration without giving to
both those inquiries decided negative. Pres
ident Eliot has obviously read but one side of
the case, and is not thoroughly Informed. We
may expect such hasty judgments from par
tisanS, but may we be permitted to say they are
hardly worthy of scholars?
His third point related to the pension sys-
tenn which, he said, "instituted for the sol
dierS and sailors who served their country on
the field of battle, has been proStituted to the
worst purposesn Here follows "Great ap-
plauSeJ-but why? "You cannot tell" he
continued whether a pensioner was a brave
man or cowardly deSerter You cannot tell
whether he received an honorable wound or
contracted catarh twenty years after the war
was endedn Now this is a statement made
publicly by the president of a great university.
It relates to a subject which he has certainly
not Investigated, and about which his only in
formation is drawn from partisan newspapers.
Il is not only a sweeping arraignment Of q
great party; it is a specific criminal charge
against a whole department, and against indi-
vdual officials who have in very large de-
gree the confidence Of their fellow-citizens.
Is this precise? is it accurate? is it dignifed?
is it just?
President Eliot is at the head of great in
stitutiOn of learning. That is no reason why
he should not be Democrat, and if he so
peases, Democratic partisan. But we may
be pardoned for saying that when he takes the
stump he should not forget that he is still the
representative of class of men who prefer
scientific accuracy unpunctuated to partisan
exaggeration followed by prolonged ap-
plauSe"
4 SPECTATORS DREAMS.
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