The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-02-16
INCoNsIsrENT PERFORMERS.

The protest against HIPS SNAP con-
vention would command a good deal
more respect, if it was possible to re-
gard it wholly OF even chiefly as pro-
test against trickery in politics. But I'M
fortunately recent conduct on the part of
the leaders of the revolt renders it i'm
possible to so look at it, Mr.. Coudert
who was the chief spokesman at the mass
meeting of Thursday evening was also
one of the orators at a recent meeting OF
the Manhattan club called to endorse
Hills steal of the New York Senate. The
trickery of that performance was INFINITE
ly worse than the trickery of the ''snap''
convention but while Mr.. Condert is very
outspoken in his condemnation OF the /
latter he had nothing but praise and
commendation for the former. The out
rage Of stealing state proceeded for
weeks under the very noses OF those
Democrats and Mugwumps who are now
so inexpressibly shocked at what they
call Hills attempt to steal the New York
delegation to the National Democratic
conventions and if they gave voice to any
protest they took good care not to make
noise enough to discomfort or brighten
the thieves. These very gentlemen who
are now making so much outcry over
Hills abuse of power have helped create
the conditions which conferred the power
upon Hill. They have not just awakened
to knowledge of what kind OF man
Hill is. They have known him for years
as a smart, INSCRIPTIONS, tricky dema-
gogue. They have seen him repeatedly
use the power which official station had
conferred upon him for his own personal
ends They have seen him catering to
the worst elements in the community for
votes Yet until the call for the state
convention in February was issued they
had never done anything to. check his
career. A few of them feebly protested
against the handing over of New York city
to Tammany Hall, but when year later
it was proposed to hand the state over to
the same corrupt organization by the
election of Roswell P. Flower to the
governorship, not only did the most of
them not protest, but even helped along
the performance with their voice and
vote, and when to make the deliverance
complete the wicked scheme of counting
out Republican senators elected by the
people was Matched, many of these very
gentlemen who are now shouting them
selves hoarse over Hills trickery invent
ed arguments to excuse the thievery,
and when it was contaminated some
of them actually got together and glori-
| fed the man who planned the whole
outrageous business.
Why, it may be asked, do these gentle-
men who but short time ago could
swallow camels now strain at gnats?
The reason is, very simple. So long as
Hills trickery and fraud were en-
ployed against the Republican party they
were excusable. The end then justified
! the most outrageous means. But now
| the fraud and trickery are directed
| against their idol, Grover Cleveland, and
| it becomes quite another matter. To
count out Republican Senators fairly
elected by the people was at the worst in
the estimation of these gentlemen apolit-
| ical offence, but to count Grover Cleve-
| land out of the Democratic National con-
| vention, is great moral iniquity, which
| cannot be too severely condemned. 1t
| is not the intrinsic iniquity of such a
performance as Hill has been guilty Of in
calling convention in February that
these gentlemen are condemning. If
| this convention were as certain to turn
| out Cleveland delegates as it is to elect
supporters of Hill, not one of these gen
| tlemen would have put in an appearance
at last Thursday nights mass meeting.
On the contrary, as MI. Francis M. Scott
remarked, every one of them would have
| been at home and abed.