The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-08

Tammany Hall, New York, celebrated
the 4th of July by partisan political
demonstration. For an hundred years and
more, Tammany declares, it has kept up
this method of observance, the which Tor
an equal length of time the remainder of
the American people have "honored in the
breach"
On this last celebration of the national
anniversary, Tammany devoted its 'spatri-
otto" impulses to a protest against the
passage of the federal election bill. This
bill that virtuous organization, the self
chosen and self-constituted defender of
the constitution" denounces as the very
acme of corruption, designed to place in
the hands of the dominant party
tyrannous use of power, and by fraud and
miscounting to perpetuate itself in the
control of affairs.
Having established that these are the OBJ
iects OF the bill by alleging that such are
its objects, Tammany, of all organizations
in the United States. seizes the 4th of July,
of all days in the calendar, to blush vir-
tuous and Mortified Tammany blush in
offense. And to cap the climax of this
grand burlesque of pretended patriotic GEN.
sorship, Grover Cleveland writes q long
sympathetic letter to Tammany on the
subject.
To appreciate the humor of this conjunc-
Cleveland is the creature and the idol of
the Mugwump element in American poll.
tics, the chiefest of whose opponents is the
New York Evening Post And it should be
remembered that the Post has for long
time and continuously insisted that Tam
many is the hot-bed and elimination of all
possible corruption. and knavery, and
swindling, and stealing. bollot-box stuffing
and miscounting. and in every respect the
embodiment OF all that is bad and detest-
able in American politics.
Quite recently the Posi- has issued
pamphlet. which has run through many
editions and is now on sale at its office, in
which the rulers of Tammany, and of the
local Democracy, and of the city of New
York. are specifically classified by name
as ''roughs," coughs" "ex-convicts" and
the like, and mainly under the Posts lead
ership a revolt against this organization
has been instituted. headed largely by
clergymen, aimed at the publication of
New York politics by the overthrow of
Tammany.
And now comes Grover Cleveland. the
Posts ideal of craftsmanship, administra-
tive ability, and championship of reform.
and desecrates the day commonly dedi-
Gated to Hottest patriotism, by time-serv-
ing letter, respectful and sympathetic, to
this organized assemblage of roughs.
toughs and political bandits. And to Tam
many, in accustomed pompous periods, he
addresses a Pecksniffian protest against
the nefarious purposes of such men as Sem
ators Hoar and Chandler, Representatives
Lodge. Rowell and their confreres.
AS to the following excerpts from the ex-
presidents screed to Tammany, it would
be interesting to know whether the Post
would regard them as the more applicable
to the friends of the Federal election bill
or TO Tammanv: Those who love their
country may well remember with satisfac-
ton on Independence Day, that the dispo-
sition of the American people 10 revolt
against maladministration still remains to
them" They will, as long as their love
and veneration for their government shall
last. revolt against the dominion of any
political party which, entrusted with power.
sordidly seeks only its continuance" Re-
ferring to the masses of our people, he said:
"They are strong. and therefore confident;
they are honest, and therefore unsuspect.
ing" "Our peril lies in the ease with
which they may be deluded and cajoled by
those who would traffic with their in.
terests."
And these sentiments Tammay affected
to applaud, but the Post will perhaps con-
tend the letter was but an artful feint at
characterization of the Republican leaders.
while in reality the author was stabbiup
Tammany viciously in the region of the
fifth rib.