The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-18

The Functions of Party Newspapers.
From time to time, we are told it is
'bad politics" in a Democratic news
paper to reproach the Eoening Jour
nal for its treachery to the Ropubli-
can cause. We are told that we
should be very glad that the Journal
betrays its party and helps the d.
mocracy to victory. Let the Repub1
licaus kick. people sometimes say to
us, democrats should take the assist
ance of the Journal with thanks. and
keep very quiet about its infany.
We do not think this is good poll
tics. We think it is politics on the
very lowest plain. We think it is sure
to be disastrous sooner or later, to the
party that profits by it. We think
it has become disastrous to the De-
mocracy of Hudson county. We
think that all the evils which have
crept into the Democratic party here
are due to the perfidy of the Jour
nal.
1t was the Journals dishonesty that
made Orestes Cleveland possible; it
made Davis possible; MePhillips pos
sible; Soiners, Dugan, Cook, Madden
and Yoe. possible; the Bad Senator
possible, and the sordid crew who dis
graced the county in the last Assem-
bly,. II the Journal were honest, the
Democracy dare nominate none but
good men for public sofice-lnen of
pure character and clean record. The
party could not be run in the inter-
est of public thieves and private gam
blers, as it too often has been in the
past. 1t would be compelled to make
the public good its real aim. unless it
wanted to be exposed and beaten in
every campaign.
This is the reason we would like to
see an honest Republican paper in
this county.
One of the highest functions of a
party paper is to keep the opposing
party decently pure. 1t is not the
function of such a paper to habitually
hold it's own allies under the lash of
criticism. When things go too far, it
is the duty Of a paper to set party
aside and lash corruption wIle rever it,
is found-in its party as well as
outside. but ordinarily, the check on
every politicians worse instincts is his
enemy, and the check on a political
party is the hostile organization and
its organs.
If the journal were sure to do its
duty as a Republican paper this fall.
there cannot be a shadow of doubt
but eleven men would be nominated
for. theAssembly by the Democracy of
this county. whom it would be a
pride and a pleasure to support. The
gang who figured in last winters in
famies would not have a chance of re-
nomination. The campaign would be
waged on square issues of political
Importance, = State finance, taxa
tion OF corporations, sumptuary
legislation, the tariff. pension aud
subsidy extravaganza and Federal
Interference in elections, In such a
contest there could be no doubt OF tile
result. Democrats would enter it
with enthusiasm, not nauseated with
the slime which adhered to the rec
ords Of the mon they were called
upon to support. They would win
victory in every district where the y
had a fighting chance.
1t is possible vi may la We a new
set of Assembly candidates this year.
There are some indications which
point that way. But if we have the
result will have been brought about
by Democratic and not Republican
papers. If we have eleven clean men
on the Democratic ticket, here, as let
us hope we will, the people of both
parties will have THE JERSEY Cry
News and not the Journal to thank
for it.
FATHER CoRRIGAN ought to make
a retreat.
III -