New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-01
OPPORTUNITY IND DINO EH.

The Tribune has no desire to edit the admin
istration Of Governor Morton which begins TO-
day. or the action Of the Legislature which as
scmbles on Wednesday, 1t has no candidate for
any office at the disposal of either: no friends
to reward rOr enemies TO punish; no axes To
grind; no hard-and-fast line of policy to which
II is welded SO long as the Governor and
Legislature working together in harmony evince
n disposition as we do not doubt they Will, 10
fulfil the promises made for them during the
campaign and meet the expectations of the peo-
pie who have laid upon them a momcntous task
while endowing them with a great trust they
will have The Trbunc's cordial cooperation ana
hearty support Without surrcndcring the right
or abandoning the duty of impartial criticism.
it's aim. and It's only aim. Will be 10 represent
what il believes 10 be the popular will as eX-
pressed in the recent election There Is. ior'u-
natcly. no doubt as to what that is. Every in
telligent voter knows that the popular uprising
which resulted in the election of a Republican
Governor and Legislature was not demand
merely for change Of men in office. but for
radical and thorough reform in political methods
and practices and in the wrcchcd systems of
State and municipal administration under when
the people have suffered so'lons The Governor
ever afforded in the history Of the State They
enter upon 1t in the enjoyment Of the confidence
Of the people. We do not believe that they will
forfeit IT, That there VII be differences OF opih-
ion rs to processes and details is inevitable but
so long as there appears to be on their part
sincere desire to answer public expectation. they
will be fairly judged and not unjustly CRITICISED
Opportunity and danger, ii remains to be said,
4 e;Jo no viewed
". is to render the greatest possible public ser
vice to citizens Of all parties in the State and
the municipality From the lower point Of view
of partisan advantage 1t is no less great For
the Governor In his executive. and the Lcgis-
lature In its coordinate capacity, have II withih
their power TO nut the Republican party in such
a position before the people that 1t VIII rctaih
their confidence and command their support for
a long time to come. They can make not Only
New-York a sure Republican State, but this
metropolis Republican city well and honestly
governed the model municipal government on
the continent And that means much TO the Re
publican party Of the Nation. But TO accom-
plish this II is absolutely necessary that both
Governor and Legislature should lift their vision
above mere partisan considerations ana widen
their horizon till ii includes the common advan-
tagc Of all the people in its scope and the small
or personal and partisan objects are merged In
the broader view At no time has the MAXIM
been so opposite and forciblc as now that 'lic
SERVES his party best who serves his country
chest" A Republican Governor and Legislature
rendering clean and wholesome public service
| in this State on Il plane above mere partisan
ship can strengthen the party Infinitely more
than by any effort, however successful, to adjust
1x-t IL.
distribution of patronage or award Of offices.
The Tribune Is partisan Republican news
paper. and unhcsitatingly so avows itself. But
! its partisanship is not petty nor personal. II
would promote partisan ends by action that
strengthens the party, though commanding
public confidence, not by frtterlng away Its OPP
portunitics in efforts to harmonic factions or
reconcile ambitious leaders.
We do not lose sight Of the fact that while
the great body Of voters who brought about the
results we rejoice in are In the background
yoiceless. the ears of the men whom they have
selected to do their work are filed with the din
of spoils-seekers and the buzzing Of party work
ers who assume the credit for what the people
did and noisily demand payment therefor. Nor
| do we forget that these persistent pests have
been reinforced by certain purchasabe news
papers WHICH, an IHspHdbOH HoN N'i
| known. have added their camor for a harmonic
| ing policy which is based upon and bounded by
| a division Of patronage as legitimate partisan
plumber without regard to the professions and
| pledges upon which the election was carried
| The danger is that the great opportunity before
the Republican party In this State may be
| wasted in the consummation Of some of the
| netty intrigucs and dcmOrallZng deals which
/ have been under way ever since the votes were
| counted The talk Is that unless these quarrel
| some self-seekers are rccOncilcd and harmony
established by a satisfactory division of spoils.
the party will be hopclessly disrupted. What
| ohiect nonsense These fellows did not carry
| the election. The people did that And If any
or all of them had undertaken TO stand in the
way of It they would have been buried with Hill
and Tammany; and they know 1t. Claims upon
, the party, forsooth. They have none. They
hurt IN most cases much more than they helped
| Governor M0rtons majority would have been
larger by several thousand IL some of these
| clamorous leaders had not loaded him down
with their ostentatous approval Some OF these
| harmony shouters are urging that Governor
! Morton should interfere in the sqnalbles now
| going on In order to save the party from dis
| rupton. Nothing could be more absurd. The
| thing for the Governor and the Legislature to
keep steadily In view II they would make the
| party permanently strong IL 10 look over the
| heads of factions and leaders TO the good Of
| the whole people II they do that, the future