New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-27
"RISJNG ABOVE PARTISANSHIP."

|
Here we are again at the parting of the ways
| where everybody must at once rise above par
| tsanship'' and save the country. or refuse TO
| RISE and let the country 60 to the dogs in con-
| sequence When say "evcrybody.' OF course
we do not include Democrats or Mugwumps
| In all the various crises through which the coun-
| try has paSsed-and we have known many OF
| them first and last-we do not recall one III
| which anybody but Republicans has been called
| upon to rise above craftsmanship in order That
| the country might be saved. AT first blush TINS
| seems queer The fact that MugwumpS are
never called upon TO rise may be accounted 1or'
| perhaps, upon the ground that those winged
| seraphs are so far up. in their normal condl-
| ton, as to be out Of sight; no one would th'hN
| of asking them to rise above anything; they are
| altogether too superior. 1t is more OF mys-
| terry why Democrats Of the old-fashioned sort
| should not be asked or expected to rise above
craftsmanship and do something patriotic once
In while. They are quite the reverse Of winged
creatures and do not soar They are persons
of specific gravity. and usually have their feet
on the ground 1t may be- though that they are
not invited to rise above partlsanship because
of It's obvious impossibilty and The hopelessness
Of any such expectation Or, what Is sui more
likely. it may be because there is really never
any occasion to call upon Democrats, or Mug
wumps either, for that matter TO rise above
craftsmanship in desperate emergencies. For II
is worthy Of remark that we never have had any
desperate emergencies calling for the sinking OF
craftsmanship except when the Democratic party,
with or without its Mugwump allies. has been
In power When the Republicans are in control
of the Government they conduct its affairs Win
| such wisdom and sagacity and upon such we'll
| defined principles and fixed policies, that they
| do not need to call upon Democrats 10 lay aside
| partisanship and help them out OF difhculty.
| The cry for the suppression of partisanshlp
| ascends only when the Democratic party, having
| been intrusted with power by credulous people,
| has nut the country in a hole and wants help
| to get 1t out.
The present situation is one in point. 1t
| might be said, indeed, with truth that the pres
| ent situation has in this regard existed ever
| since the Cleveland Administration came in;
| the only change in II having been that from bad
| to worse until now it has developed into some
| thing which seems to the Administration to be
| desperate emergency. Almost the first utter
| ance of the Cleveland Administration was cry
| for help TO relieve the country from the pros
| tration into which all our financial, commercial,
| manufacturing and other business interests were
| thrown so soon the country awoke to "A
| realization Of the probable effects OF the folly
| of 1892 An extra session of Congress had to be
| called at once Then went up the most moving
| and pathetic appeals from the Democratic ana
Nugw,lmp press all over the land, implorlng
| Republicans in Congress to rise above partisan
| ship" come TO the relief of the Administration
| and make an end of the prevailing distress. Re
publicans responded by granting the financial
| legislation which the President had assured the
| country was all that was needed to renew con-
6dence and restore prosperity Without their
MD it will be remembered, the Silver Purchase
law which the President said was the cause Of
all the mischief could not have been repealed.
With an overwhelming majority Of Democrats
in both houses Of Congress the President was
| unable without Republican aid TO secure the
enactment of bill which was, in his judgment.
SO important that he had called an extra session
of Congress ir order that il might be passed
without delay. Republicans having set this cx
annie of patriotism, in rising above partisan
shin the next thing done by that Democratic
Congress was to descend to the lowest level Of
partisanship in the passage Of 4 tariff bill the
only merit of which its intense and uncom-
promising craftsmanship 1t satisfied no one. but
was condemned in some of its features by ALL
while the President himself did not hesitate to
denounce it unsparingly. But il made
party measure and every mothers Of them
supported It, while the President permitted il to
become q law for no other reason than that ii
| was expected to help the party. That's the way
Democrats rise above partlsanshp'
new Congress having come in-an over
uholmjngl Rpnubljcan Congress- as the result
| of two years experience Of Democratic fumbing
| and mischief matching first thing President
| Cleveland asked of it was-thc old story-that il
| should rise above partisanship." and give him
| the authority TO appoint commission TO invest
| gate a boundary dispute in which he said the
| maintenance Of the Monroe Doctrinc-which he
| had hitherto held in cOntempt-was involved
| The patriotism Of Republicans. who have always
| stood by the Monroe Doctrine, being appealed
| TO- they did rise above partisanship," and that
J there might be no doubt as TO their earnestness
| gave him by unanimous vote the commission
| he asked for and an appropriation to defray its
| expenses. Then. having started panic which
| endangered the credit Of the Government by his
| laundering manner Of presenting the question
| he proceeded TO commit II grosser blunder by
| crying out In scared, panics way for
| immediate legislation 10 meet the emergency
| This was an appeal. mind you. TO a Republican
| Congress-Rcpublican because the people had
elected ii TO relieve them from the misery and
distress which Democratic administration and
legislation had brought upon them. And now
for days past the Democratic and Mugwump
newspapers have been appealing again To Il Re-
publican Congress to rise above partisanshp'
and meet the emergency, not by adOptin. Re-