New-York tribune., 1894-10-10
+ TYPIC4L DEMOCRiTIC REFORMER

4 TYPICAL DEMOCRITiC REFORMER.
Let us scoop up some of the bubbles that are
| still rising on the spot where William i. Gaynor
went down. There may bc n moral somcwhcr"
among them For MI Gaynor is the typical
Democrat better thai his party" In thos"
painful periods which sometimes come To the
people. when. after loose living and dcbaucl
cry. they rise up some morning rrdcycd and
rcmorscful ana ll,c ccnSpr'ouS liver sits on deck
diScharging the functions of abdicarh con
scicncc. such Rcformcrs a> he are apt To be
come conspicuous For always nj such times
a strange infatuation takes momcntary pos
session of the public mind. that nobody hut
person who has been reformed is really com
pctcnt To- lead Reform Citizens who hlv" AL
the time kept sober and led wholesome lives
during IA" dcbau,h ar rrckoncl unfit for The
task. 10 reform the abuses which have grown
up under Democratic policies and Democratic
Administration The Republican. who has con
staniy aud consistently cried ont against them.
and voted and worked against them. j.
hy the very fact Of his opposition disqualified
Only the Democrat. who by his vote and his
influence has contributed to the dcbauchcry II
public morals ih, triumph II friud and the rule
of corruption. !. deemed competent Ia lead an
uprising against the political conditions he has
done 50 much io foster TIL" deusIon resembles
that which took po~sc>>on of the public mind
during the WaShngtonian Tcmpcranc" move
mont in the early 'fortirs. when III" only Snr'
passport TO popular favor was to be- a reformed
drinkard For time reformed drunkardS were
So much The rage and IN such demand that men
who had been sober AMI temperate all their
lives stood no chance anywhere
In pretty much all The reform movements
which in recent years have been directed against
the gross abuses Of Democratic mi>r1Ilc this
notion has seemed 10 prevail. that only The men
whose political action made The reform ncccs-
sary could be- safely intrlIStcd to undo their
own work And II Is 10 be remarked cir
cumStancc not destitute Of significance that the
popular uprising against abuses is always Ill
rccicd against Democratic, and never against
Republican, administration Of affairs \ striking
illustration Of this disposition To trust no on" bat
"A Democrat 10 undo Democratic mischief has
been afforded by The action of such men as Fred
eric II, Coudcrt the gentleman whom our Demo
cratic contemporary The New-York sun, is in
the habit Of calling Great Scott" and others Of
that remarkable organization known as the State
these gentlemen suffer from the same intel
lcc,ual disorder They have dwolt 80 much and /
so long upon their own extraordinary merits as |
men better than their party that they have /
become unbalanced in their minds They look /
upon themselves as the most astonishing pOliti- /
cal phenomena of the period, because they have /
had the courage 10 say openly that their party /
needs reforming. Their method of reforming |
abuses is not by any means to put in power
the party which stands. and has always stood.
for uncompromsing hostility TO the system nm
der which the abuses grew, and the men re-
sponsiblc for thcm-no, that would never do
but to keep n corrupt party in power. only re-
uuring n change of leaders. When il comes 10
the change Of leaders. Of course. who fit TO
put in command as those eminent persons who
have not only reformed themselves. but are
anxious for an opportunity 10 reform their asso-
riates? In street parlancc, they are stuck on
themselves"
OF all these people Mr. Gaynor seems to have
taken the disorder III the most virulcnt form
When once man gets possessed with the no.
ion that he is "bcttcr than his party" and en-
titled. accordingly. 10 he admired by all the
world, IT is apt TO 90 hard with him. Though
[ must be confessed that n notable exception
: now view al Buzzards Bay. Doubtless
lis success has contributed as much as any.
hing 10 the spread Of the epidemic. I'm Mr.
iaynOrs case II led 10 Il public exhibition Of
such intense vanity and cgOtism as to leave all
he turkey cocks on this side Of the river alto
,cthcr in the shade From the day when he
Degan 10 propose to the Saratoga Democratic
Convention the terms and conditions upon which
lonc he would consent To lead his party and
ave the State down 10 the conclusion Of the
arce In which he turned himself inside out then
wallowcd himself, and finally reluctantly took
himself out OF public sight with a quotation
his belief In himself his devotion
% himself. his entire satisfaction with himself
nd his everlasting purpose TO stand by him
elf. he continued to grow more and more ride
ous 1t seems a pity that a man who IL ,
apabe Of good work within his limitations and ,
Who has actually rendered public service for
which the community has reason 10 be CRATE
I'll, should he so carried away with himself on
he strength Of his being "bcter than his party" ,
here are Democrats nnqucstiombly who are
better than their party" But they are not en-
tied on that account either 10 the confidence 4
admiration Of the universe For II Is 10 bc I
pmembered that, while there may be here and ,
here Democrat better than his party" tho O