New-York tribune., 1891-12-17
a" SINCERE TRUST.n

body's griefs or rail at anybody's misfortmes but
when we read that our lately exuberant and
hilarious contemporary, "The Times" sincere
ly trusts" that the announcement of the prob
able appointment of Mr.. Bland, Of Missouri, to
be chairman of the Committee on Coinage,
Weights and Measures is not made seriously, but
only "to test party opinion and that the re-
sponse will be fatal to the appointment" it al
most excites smile. For " sincere trust' did
not used to be the prevailing characteristic OF
"The Times and its Mugwump associates when
they were thrashing round" and making things
hum inside the Republican party. When it
looked as if the majority of the party disagreed
with them and things did not 90 to suit them
and they could not have their own way, they
did not step round softly and gently deprecate
and mildly murmur and sincerely trust; on the
contrary, they stormed and threatened and rose
up and kicked and made life burden for every
body who did not agree with them or consent to
give them their way. So that the lovers Of
peace and quiet life experienced a sensation
of relief when they had kicked themselves away
over to the opposition. Since they made their
landing in the bosom of the Democracy Repub
icans have viewed with more or less complacency
and well-disciplined organization.
1t is only within a few days that they have
queted down and assumed an attitude of humble
deprecation and sincere trust Up to the time
when the defeat of Mills for Speaker upset their
calculations, overthrew their hopes and set them
down hard on the back seats they were hilarious,
uproarious and cantankerous. They said they,
and they alone had lifted the Democratic party
out Of disgrace to respectability, up from feeble
ness to strength. They had rescued it from
shipwreck, and as a reward for their services
demanded that they be put in command. They
had not broken off the old habit of stormng
and threatening. Without mncing matters they
told their new associates that unless Mills was
made Speaker they would kick up their beautiful
heels and prance over to the Republicans, leav
ing the Democracy to founder back into the
mud of defeat. 1t was very high talk. The old
foges of Democracy we've somewhat astonished
at it, but not dismayed They proceeded to
choose Speaker in utter disregard of the threat
enings and denunciations of their boisterOus new
allies Not only that they are now said to be
contemplating the completion of the Organiza-
tion of the House by the appointment of COM
mittees TO suit themselves without paying the
slightest heed to the noisy new recruits.
So now the kicking has stopped. There are
no more stormings and threatenings, no more
toploftiness. As against Crisp against whom
they had, or now say they had, no serious OBJ
lection except that they had set their hearts on
some one else, they were bitter violent and
avowedly uncomprOmising. But here now it is
proposed to put at the head of the Coinage Com
mittee man who represents, according to their
view, all that is bad and wrong and rotten in
finance, the most offensive representative of
free silver coinage in either house. What do the
gentlemen who threatened such dreadful things
over the election of a Speaker with whom their
differences were only shadowy, say to this ap
pointment to one of the most important positions
In the House of man whose principles and
beliefs are totally at variance with their own?
DO they kick? Do they threaten? No; they
only deprecate it and say they sincerely trust''
there's some mistake about it that the announce
ment has been made only to test the opinion of
the party The discipline of the old party seems
to have been effective The new recruits are
beginning to recognize it. There are no heels
in the air. All their feet are on the ground
they are chewing the cud of reflection in a sub
dued rlminating way and an attitude Of sin
cere trust It's great change. And rather in
teresting too, as spectacle.