New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-18
MEANINGLESS CANT.

,vo,d with VOL You are gentleman Of more
than ordinary intelligence. You were Sccre-
torv Of the Treasury under Mr.. Cleveland. ana
discharged the duties of that Office with ahIilty
and fidelity. You were one Of tho most active
s,Ipport4rs of that gentleman for denomination
and reelection Doubtless you represent MS
views on current questions; particularly on
what is called Tariff Reform. You attended
tho annual dinner Of the New-Engand Tariff
Reform League in Boston the other night and
made some remarks You are reported a. IN
drlqjnc in a lament over habit formed by
the Republicans Of contributing vast sums
of money 10 buy clcctons.' to which you
frankly added 1t is useless t. deny thAt
the Democrats are equally guilty with the ke-
publicans in attempts T. corrupt the elections.
This had the appearance of impartalitN but
what seemed TO excite your proioundcSt Srcl
though we sincerely hope it did not disturb
your digcstion-was that business men were
contributing to Republican campaign funds
that "thc>e successful men, were "dcilbor1ie-
" contributing Of their substance 10 undermine
the foundations Of society; 20 do that which
not only could not make their business and
prosperity safe, but which rendered unsafe the
business and prosperity OF everybody in this
country"
Mr.. Fairchild do you know why these bust
ness men are willing TO contribute 10 Repub-
lican campaign funds? There's some reason
for it, surely. They don't do it for fun, or be
cause they have no idea Of the value Of money
and are willing T. waste it amlcs>ly and wan
tonlv. Isn't it because they believe their bust
ness interests are at stake; that the success OF
YOUR party endangers them? That i, \ selfish
consideration. you say. True, but does the law
of self-prcservation have no place in your
system of political economy? And DO you
really think that the party You represent, the
party whose access 10 power Is so strcnuouSly
opposed by these successful business men, Is
actuated by absolutely unsellish motives; that
there is no alloy of sclfsceSlng or self
ACKNOWLEDGMENT in them? Please look over
your party, Mr. Fairchild; recall It's history
consider the character of its leaders ; the poll
cieS they have been advocating and the meth
DDS they have been pursuing for the last thirty
wears weigh the intelligence and the patriot
ism of the mass of voters behind thcm-is 1t
at all strange that successful business men
should be willing 10 contribute from their
means to prevent such party from reaching
a pOsition where all the business interests Of
the country must be dependent upon its dis
erection, its capacity its sense of responsibility,
is intelligent use Of power? Is their solcitude
unnatural? Does it furnish any genuine occa-
sion for patriotic grief?
Has it ever occurred to you, Mr.. Fairchild,
when you have been grieving over the use OF
money in elections, that the city OF your resi-
dcnce this Tammany governed town-Strongest
! Democratic city on the contlncnt-oilerS rather
| striking object lesson in that regard? Don't
| YOU know that the entire amount OF money
contributed by successful business men 10 the
| Republican campaign fund is but drop in the
bucket compared with the enormous sums
which the Tammany organization sweeps into
its treasury with the drag nets it puts ont
before every election? Are you not aware
That every one of the 10, 900 drinking saloons
every one Of the thousand and moro Of
gambling places and houses of i'll reputc
on this island pays heavy annual tribute to
Tammany for election purposes? Do you
! doubt that Mr. Cleveland owes his election to
| the power Of this organization more than to
any other single cause? And has it ever Oc-
CURED TO you that the enormous sums raised
by your political friends in this way make
necessary the raising of funds from successful
business men much larger than would otherwise
be necessary to counterfeit them? But you say
the successful business men are deliberately
contributing of their substance to undermine
the foundation of society" In the name of
common sense and common decency, if the iron
mills and cotton mills and woollen mills are
undermining the foundations of society what
are the gin mills doing?
Mr.. Fairchild, you have been entertaining
the New-England Tariff Reform League with
cant-high flown but utterly empty, insncerc,
loose and meaningless cant Get rid of it. Or
if you must beat your breast and roll your
eyes and agonize with grief over the use of
money in elections, come back and take look
at Manhattan Island Then 90 shed YOUR tears