New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-08
no MORE TAPERING OFF,"

no MORE "TAPERING OFF,"
At regular intervals during the last twenty
y.,rs mr. more we have had in this town popular
unr,sngs for municipal reform. They have In
every ease been against Democratic administra-
ton 1t Is II good time just now to THINK OF inns
For we are in the midst of another. II Is al
WAYS Democratic masovcrnlncnt. Democratic
maladministraion. Democratic corruption. fraud
dishonesty and crime. ulat the people have risen
I'D In wrath against and Indignantly demanded
reform. The cry has always been loud. earnest
and sincere And then what? In every Instance
II has been the experience Of the drunkard rising
renentant and remorscful from his drbauch,
with the most strenuous determination 10 abJure
strong drink utterly and forever. presently quail
living his purpose by promise 10 quiz hh'u
s,uY" and TAPER of" on softer and more IN
nocuous potaiionS: and then gradual I"rs''l"r
ness Of the pledge and winding MP the day
drunken than ever The cXcus" always Is 'iH''
10 break OF altogether from III" drinking iiap''
is An impossible achievement: too nbrlipt ana 700
radical Il change Ia De permanent: mat VII" "hH
practical method Of reform Is to approach II ny
e,sv s,accs-to "tapcr of" Sometimes the re-
morsefu drunkard "lapcrs of" on cocktail
sometimes on light wines ana sometimes Oh
malt liquors: hut always. mind you. on some
,hiny that is handed 10 him over The bar ana
amid old associations.
Time after time the voters OF this town nave
awakened from prolonged drbauch of Demo
cratic misrule with the headache OF II, the pi"
taste In the mouth. the shame AMI the reII"rSc
Of II. and the determination 10 put stop 10 II
and make an end Of II -reform II altogether
Time after time they have listened - the arsu
meuts of men who have urged with mulch plius-
bilitv that the Democratic habit was too strong
to be broken off at once: that the Democratic
voters were In II ma jory and it was impossible
70 induce any great number Of them 10 vote for
any but Democrats for office and that the ohiy
practicable way 10 reform was 10 holhha'c 'o'
tnc. Democrats known To- be "beti.r than their
n,rtv'-dimtcd Democrats not hard stun
Tom,nanv Democrats. but Hight wine. malt
liuuor Democrats. Repeatedly The voters nav"
been begulcd 10y this sort Of argument. ana III
the ,leluslon that they were unequal I" III" task
Of thorough aud complete reform have adopted
the 'taperlng Off" policy ~ clccting AMI ram
many Democrats So called 10 oi'ic" especially
10 the Office Of Mayor The result has been III
overv casc The same The diluted Democrat
/ elected To- ofiic. has never been able. even wh"h
h, had the disposition. 10 institute any reform
~ consequence or 10 make any serious opposl-
tion 10 the corrupt schemes 81 the regular party
organization which t. always has been ana M
ways will be Tammany Hall Mr.. Hewitt stated
TN. Situation correctly I'm his letter published
Yesterday when he described the conditions dur'
Ing his Mayoralty and his own p"wrrhNNh'N'
Z, reform them He was right IN saying that
uo p.rmanent reform could be- expected until
Tamnany influence Is entirely cXtrpatcd but
he disclosed the narrow partlsanship when mas
always been 50 fatal 10 his influence when hc
added thereto the uDcallrl for hlng mar the
substitution Of Republican for Tammnny control
would be no improvement. lie had no righi 10
| sov :, Republican government Of This city has
not been tried: Democratic has.
". are inst now nj the culnlnation lc liz hope
| nj the end-of another continuous period of Dem
ocratIc municipal misrulc The rolenneSs 81 u
! in all departments IL So rank that no Democratic
newspaper prccnds 10 defend II, ana even 'he
leaders are sncakng away from the r"@ponslb'i
,tv for II. Again we have IL popular uprising
for municipal reform. and once more the nope
arises I'm The minds Of good citizens that the
day Of delivcrancc IL at hand Again. too, Ger
tain rcformers are clamorous- FOR reform 'h'l'
will not be too abrupt. too radical or too sweep
ing: for a reform that Will not hurt the party
whose inquitics have made reform Imperative
for n reform by dlution and "tapcring on
! They will listen To 10 proposition that does not
involve the nomination OF some sort Of Demo
crat for Mayor But that game has been played
too often. The experience we have had VIII
Democratic Mayors Of various degrees Of dIln
ton has taught the voters the futilly OF all s'icl
enterprises beginning with loud determinations
against the corruptions and abuses engender''
by Tammany rule. they end IN making Tainmahy
stronger. wlckcdcr and more arrogant than ever
The people have had enough Of diluted Drnoc
racy and reform by ''tapering on" This Is nn
II case for lotions or pohons or massage or iai'l
| cure but for surgery.