New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-08
4 MISSING PARTY.

send ont a general alarm? There's political
marty missing political party that came
into being last winter under auspices mcom-
monty impressive to the Boston mind 1t APP
pcared suddenly and Unexpectedly. The first
thing anybody knew about 1t 1t was on deck :
il had a Committee of Six which in few
weeks swclled TO " Committee of Seven had
= nostoflice box Of its own, and was issuing
"lcaActs." pamphlets addresses and all that
sort of thing with rapidity and energy and
general swing calculated to give the average
VOTER a headache. 1t was born, as one might
say. with trousers on; not ordinary trousers
bnt plymouth Rock Pants" We use this
metaphor in preference TO the hackncyed'
though perhaps more classical. Inquire concern
ing Mincrva-who, as everybody IN Boston
knows. had no infancy or grlhOod to speak OF,
but when first seen was descending by fire
escape from the top of JuptcrS ear so thor
oughy caSed in armor that she could easily
have clbowed her way 10 jordan ~ Marsh ;
bargain counter in the middle of the day-ior
two reasons : first because il has local color,
and second because the party was so mani
fcstlv masculine Mr.. James Means, to whom
il was advertised all communications and pro-
nosalS should be addressed. was leading the
Marty by the hand Thereby he gained I'M
usual fame which he bore w under with great
patience and sclf-poSseSSion. enduring with
fortitude a dinner given by the Massachusetts
Reform Club at which he explained. by re-
quest. the mission Of the party. and invited
that association to get in early and be, As he
poctically observed d" its Alma Mater
The "lcahcts" and circulars and things were
sent broadcast. 10 use a familiar expression,
and though treated by portions of the press with
something like lcvty. served to increase senSi-
bly, the revenues of the postal service, ana dis
tract the attention of the public from the
rayagcs Of the then prevailing grip epidemic.
Great certainty that the new patty would dis
Mace the Mugwumps, absorb all the third.
fourth. fifth and sixth parties, send the Demo
cratic party to the rear and defeat the Repub-
licans overwhelmingly prevailed FOR several
wecks-in the mind Of Mr.. Means During this
period he continued 10 spread over the country
his "lcafIetSr and circulars and things, charged
with rood deal of general information rs 10
the dcporable way things were going on and
the CRYING need Of "A new party which should
knock all the others out and set things right.
The great point in all Of them was that the
Time was ripe. 1t began 10 riDcn early in the
fall. and kept growing ripper and ripper until
some time in the spring. As the flow Of printed
matter then ceased, we presume it got ripe
enough 10 fall off II is our impression that
the cessation occurred Just prior 10 the Chicago
Convention and rs the main purpose of the
marty was TO nominate Mr. Cleveland on a plat
form Of his own 50 as to put him in position
entirely independent Of Democrats or Mug
wumps, it may have had some relation TO that
event. The remarkable thing about it is that,
so far as we know. it has not until the moment
of this writing been missed by anybody.
Now VIC have no doubt that if the Boston
police send out general alarm Mr.. Means can
be found and with him the missing party,
which, by the way. in honor of the gentleman
who started out from Palos with about the
same number Of people four hundred years
ago. he had chriStencd " The Columbian Party.
Boston is somewhat tangled town, and he
NAV have got lost in it, Or it may be that the
marty has got away from him and gone into
the woods Or has fallen under a horSe-car.
Or is in hiding in the sccluson of the Algon-
ouin Club. Or has dropped into its own post
office box and lost the key. Anyhow search
should be made for il. II was by all odds the
most promising. as it was the most fluent, of
the new parties born during the year. If the
Boston police should happen TO find it, will they
kindly do it M and send it 10 Buzzard's Bay
There's a fisherman down there who uses such
things for bait.