New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-26
RETRTBCTION.

There arc certain moral considerations which
appear exceedingly appropriate al this time.
The fate of Mr. Hill i'll the Democratic Con-
vcntion teaches an important lesson. lie had
achieved victories of the greatest utility to his
party. lie had seized power which, as he
had shown, could be used unscrupulously and
with almost irresistible effect to overcome ad-
verse votes of the people. In substance, the
electoral votes of the greatest state IN the
Union could be stolen and held, if they could
not be fairly won-providcd the party made
it worth while for Hill and his associates.
But all this had been done by means which
were in the last degree offensive to decent
citizens. The very Democrats who went fran
tic with JOY at the partisan results Hill had
attained were both afraid and ashamed TO nom
mate him for high Office, or to countenance him
as a worthy representative OF their party. They
felt that the offences he had committed would
make him too heavy load for any party to
carry, even if it could count upon the great
electoral vote Of Ncw-Yor1 to start with, and
that in New-YorI1 also the party would lose a
multitude of votes for the same reason. so that
it could hope to prevail only by the most bare
faced and offensive wrongdong Some Dem
ocrats in convention were too honest to nom
mate such a candidate Others did not dare
to nominate such a candidate, seeing that pub
lie opinion would overwhelm their party if
they did.
Personally Mr.. Hill was popular. lie had
identified himself with the free-slver wing OF
his party, which was the great majority. Ho
had made it clear that his own nomination, or
the nomination of some man occupying the
same position was necessary to prevent great
secession of Democratic voters to the Alliance
in Western and Southern States and the prob
able loss of some of those States. lie had the
support of some of the shrewdest party man
ayers in various parts of the country, as well
as the united and enthusiastic support OF the
delegation from his own State. The most elo-
quent orators of the convention were his cham
pionS Yet he received, besides the - votes
OF New-YOrk which he had seized by methods
in the last degree offensive, only about 40
other votes from all parts Of the country. So
complete and humiliating a defeat has rarely
visited any political candidate, and il can be
attributed only to a sense of the improperly
of the methods to which he had resored. and
of the certainty that public opinion would con-
denim those methods.
1t does not pay for any politician in this coun-
try to sacrifice honesty or justice for the sue
cess of party In the long run political
crimes bring retrbution, though justice is some
times slow of foot, and wrong for time APP
pears to triumph. When Mr.. Hill had snatched
from Republicans of this State seats in the
Senate which belonged to them of right, TIE
TRIBUNE did not hesitate to predict that these
great crimes against free government would
make his election TO the Presidency impossible,
even though they might push the Democratic
party into his nomination. But he also en-
poyed against opponents within his own party
the same INSCRIPTIONS methods Prominent
Democrats who had been blind and dumb when
the voters of the State were dcfrauded and
who silently acquiesced even if their consciences
did not Justify his acts, became outspoken and
indignant when they were the victims Of in
Justice Their protest forced the convention
to consider what Mr.. Hills methods had been
and from that time he had no chance OF sue
cess. His own party felt that the nomination
of such candidate would be fatal