New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-24
orrcTTON OF Dirty.

can the world loves a lover" it was said,
but all the world does not love coward. A
great party can survive defeat. But 1t has
no right to expect to survive deliberate be-
travail of its declared convictions for the sake
of office Grant that the Democratic party mas
thus dishonored itself more than once, and yet
lives its voters are not those upon whom the
Republican party depends for existence.
Would it not be frantic folly, one man asks
10 adhere to the Election bill after the people
had condemned it? The assumption that the
people have passed judgment upon that meas
IRE by their recent votes is entirely desutute
of proof to support 1t. Men cannot make 1t
onnear that the Tariff bill did all the mischief,
and also that the Election bill caused the same
defeat and also that the defeat was caused
by dozen other things. 1t is sheer impudence
to assume that everything the Republican party
has been doing was condemned by the same
vote. But if it were true that the majority OF
those voters who voted at all this fall were IN
fuenced by the Election bill and condemned
that measure the question would still remain,
paramount to all others in the estimation OF
men who are worthy to lead or to follow, " Is
il a duty to provide for fair and free elections?
The fact cannot be ignored or hidden that
the Republicans in Congress did believe this
high and sacred duty. The great majority
of Republican voters have shown during the
recent campaign that they so believed. Inc
last Republican National Convention expn0ty
declared that it was duty which the Kepuo
lican party would perform. 1t said: we
demand effective, legislation to secure the IN
tegrity and purity of elections, which are the
fountains of all political authority What
possible good can it do, after all this' 10 IT,
frain from enacting any measure 10 tha' emu
Surely no voter can be deceived as 10 the WISHES
and convictions of the party. Surely not one
can be so dull as to fail to see that the meas
IRE is laid aside only for the sake OF getths
mower by the suppression of convictions pup
licly declared.
Faithful to its convictions of duty, in victory
or defeat. party commands the respect even
of its foes. But what respect or confidence
could be felt for party which, after commit
ting itself to a certain measure as one demand
ed by Justice and the public safety, throws ii
aside because il fears to lose Office? III the
neople had voted distinctly and separately on
this measure and against it. that would not
make it less clearly the duty of those who be-
lieve it necessary and just to strive with al
their might to bring the people to proper
appreciation of it. The only way to remove
misapprehension now, it may be, is to put an
act into operation and show how 1t works
Nothing else ever can convince the people that
objections to the Tariff bill are fraudulent and
| mfounded. Possibly it may be so as to the
| Election bill.
1t is not assumed here that the only proper
| or the wisest conceivable measure to "secure
| the integrity and purity of elections" is the
| precise form of bill now pending. That is
quite another question. But if the principle
| and purpose of the bill were right when the
| House voted for it last summer they are right
now.