New-York tribune., 1891-10-15
STILL "INDBPENDENT."

Good men eVeryNnere-lhSV 49, '
GOOD. who are not as other men-wlll reJolce ~
seo that "The New-York Times Will eherse
from the present campaign with l'S repu'"',o"
for political independence and non-par"SanSnip
o;r+oinad It. will continue to be the organ OF
49, Irdenendent voter, and the exponent OF the
tao. .horobt of that small but superior class
90 rorsons who from high sense OF duty uluer
ia, nrottv much everybody. Though usuahy
fo,,nd voting with the Democrats, these persons
nro<erve their self-respect by holding alool from
tho marty. They are, however, It's most u'eiu
allies. as they come in every year aS lie" 0o"
verts. and give the appearance Oh a'' "nrD"l
rov;val Their hesitation and reluctance oe!oio
| docdinp 10 vote the Democratic tlcke' nave iiHe
,,;so an avoellent influence on other voters WIN
ono Zoo busv or too tired to think Tor thein-
olros and ale willing to have the best thillheIS
| do it for them ,.., o,,,ro-
Some Of the best thinkers have been appre-
horSvo lest "The Times" might 60 so far IN
rs snnport of the Democratic party as TO impair
49, rsefulness as an independent newspaper"
Mo oaoerpess with which it accepted the sara
| +oga ii l,ot and the uncommon zeal 1t has eA-
hibited in its support has gwen uiieaSine''
4ba hest thinkers, who have not hesltated 10 say
| that tbe pace was too rapid, that tneIe ousnv !"
be more coyness, more criticism OF ue'anS, oo
| fore accepting results that the uckeV ousnO ="
| he taken not as a tidbit with smlle' Du' do q
doso with a WHY face. The manner IN wnicn
| y tool, I'M the Tammany cause, gave lts iocai
rol;tical ronorts the Tammany color, accepteu
rommanv statements, and quoted the Iammahy
..Lo,s, ~ authority. occasioned anxiety. 1t be-
can ~ he said that The Times" was Tam
many orcan. that it actually outran the recos
nized organs in doing Tammanys work. ana
| that it would presently cease to be recoslI"eu
| hv the best thinkers as an independent news
paper. They said it had swallowed lammahy
and David Hill and Richard Croker and all the
| Tommany nominations, and was humping u
soIf,, in all its departments and all over us
editorial page for everything that bore the l am
many stamp: that it even published Amos Cum-
mings's thrilling fctons for truth and his fig
urcs for statistics that it had gone so far in
fact. that in next years Presidential campaign
| it would not be able to inaugurate a Demo
cratic revival by appearing as convert.
To all Of which the more patient and phiio-
sophie of our best thinkers said; wait ana
see. The Times is nothing if not sudden
abrupt and unexpected 1t will presently break
out with an exhibition of independence tnat
will gladden. all of us at the same time that II
| will startle Tammany Hall and shake it to its
very centre.D Sure enough, it came yesterday.
| In An article on "The Local Tickets The
| Times.n with the most consummate skill, atter
dwelling at considerable length on the merits OF
the Democratic and dement's of the Republican
candidates for various local offices, and leading
the unsuspicious reader to suppose that it was
doing simple machine work, all at once without
a word of warning kicks against John B. Shea,
| one of the Tammany candidates for Coroner
Not violently, to be sure, but in these measured
words "John b. Shea has no special qualifica-
tons for the place that we know Of"
Enough. "The Times" still represents the
Independent voter is still the exponent of the
best thought of the best thinkers Next year
when it comes with hesitation and diffidence to
the support of the Tammany candidate for the
| Presidency it will be again welcomed as a con-
vert again the Democratic press Of the country
| will exut over the abandonment of the Repub-
lican party by one of its ablest and most indie
pendent journals; again it will maintain its in
dependence by kicking against Coroner or an
| Alderman, and the next year be ready to do it
| all over again.
And the really disinterested spectator will be-
gin t. inquire after this has been repeated a
score or so more OF times: "HOw long is this
| IN continue? ?o