New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-20
THE DELEGATE HUNTERS ED.

the Southern tour Of The great Delegate Hunt
or has served at least one useful purpose. As
an object lesson in the tendencies and AIMS N
the Democratic party j. is invaluable. Every
where on his journey The purpose of his mission
was known. He did not himself undertake 70
conceal it, but carried his frankness concerning
it to the verge of indecency. The talk OF his
introducer az Birmingham about his beng no
Pharisee, and his exploitation Of himself as
hater Of hypocrisy and sham meant simply thar
be was on a hunt for delegates and not ashamed
70 have it known. Abiding contemptuously
to his rival who not long ago visited the South
on a hunting excursion, ngdy secluding him
Self from public observation on the journey he
said. with a sheer, that when he was out for
politics he did not pretend to be shooting ducks.
Every action, every word, every gesture, from
the beginning Of his trip meant delegates lie
wants the nomination OF his party for PRESIDENT.
He wen, South on that business. His sole er-
rand was to make An offer for the votes in con-
venton of the delegates from the Solid South.
What was the bid? What inducement did he
offer them to give him their support? He gave
them some cheap rot about their I" historic
places, and made himself ridiculous by talking
about the Civil War as " Disturbances but that
wa mere oily CANNON. That doesn't catch
delegates. Did he give them any reason in his
own attitude en- any public question why they
should vote for him for President? Did he de-
fine his position on either of the two pending
issues of most importance in any except the NEST
general and ambiguous terms? Not at all. He
detained against the present tariff in the con-
venti0nal loose mOuthed way, and ranted little
about silver without saving anything which
would prevent his being claimed by either of the
two factions into which his party is divided on
both the tariff and silver coinage. In this he
offered them a certain political dcxterty which
might commend him to them as candidate
who could face both ways and fool both sides
but that is a very common Democratic trick 1t
comes easy to all of them, and they all do it.
These were only the incidents, the by-pay Of
the game His real bid for delegates simply
stated was this: " [ know what you want. 1t
isn't any sham reform in the Civil Service. You
want the offices for one thing, and you shall
have them if get there. You want your own
way Just as YOU used to have it before the
War. Ge. Democratic control and you will
have it, for the Solid South viii
control tho party. You don't care much about
the tariff or silver SO long as you have
a candidate who can get there by StraddnS
both questions You want candidate who car
res thirtysix electoral votes absolutely in his
own hand one who controls the most powerful
political machine in the country, owns the State
Of New York, can levy assessments for election
purposes upon an army of oficehoders, can COM
pei tribute from wealthy corporations and extort
hush money from all the shames and vices and
crimes that pollute the life of large cities You
want a candidate who helps himself and helps
his friends, one who can, if necessary, steal
Legislature, man who lets no scruple stand in
the way of his success, but who no matter what
stands in the way-justice, truth honor com
mon decency-gcts there. And you want
President who, when he gets there, will do for
the party in the Nation what have done in the
State of New-Yorll. make it his chief and only
business to see that with or without votes,
whether a majority or minority, we shall hold
and keep the Offices. And that, fellow-Demo-
Gratis, is the kind of man am
This is the Delegate Hunters bid. 1t is frank
~ made, and no man mistake it. II is the
bid Of politician who thinks he knows the aims
and purposes Of his party. He ought to know
them. lie has been studying them and nothing
else from the day he began buying votes behind
barn to the time when he safely counted on
them to sustain him in his browning achieve
ment of stealing a State, against which no man
in the whole party raised word of protest. lie
has been acting on his knowledge of the party
and of what they really want all through this
hunt for delegates. His conduct has the merit
at least Of brutal candor. 1t il a thorough dis
closure Of the spirit of the party. And the ques-
ton he has raised by it is, whether, on the whole
the American people are such worshippcrs of
success as to crown with their highest honors the
man who bids for them a career of successful
crime.