New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-23
THE GRADUAL DIMINISHING or FIIZ.

THE GRADUAL DIMINISHING or FITZ
"Fitz Lee" the joy Of the T. f. VS., the ldol
Of 1.-THE Best Families" the noblest Cuckoo of
them all--"Fitz Lee has been rewarded with an
office His fat friend has just appointed him Col
lector of Internal Revenue for one OF the virginia
districts, and all the Southern air blossoms into
melody. and every echo rings with bliss. The
Blue Ridge palpitates, the Rappahannock and
the Shenandoah run deep with glory. All the
Carriage Company" of the Old Dominion take
fresh heart, and every invading dOughtace
shivcrs with discontinue "Fitz"-Our only
'Fitz'-has an office at last, and Colonel Cyarter.
Of Cyartersvile expcctorates upon the landscape
with chivalrlc flucncy. But viewed from cold'
mean. ignoble Northern point Of view, this other
wise "hacyon and yoclferous' occasion seems 10
have It's drawbacks. Young as we are we can
remember when Our FitZ' was bigger than the
whole Bureau Of Internal Revenue. We recall
a time-thc 4th Of March, 1850, for instance
when certain procession moved ma1eSucally
down Pennsylvanaayc. escOrting TO the Capltol
for the purposes of Inauguration the first Demo
cratic President since 1861. Four weary horses
tolled to drag "a good man, weighing 2o0
mounds" TO the historic structure upon the NIL,
and Democratic thousands all along the line
thickencd the air with reclamation. But the NJ
ure in that procession which aroused the cher
enthusiasm was the figure of Il porlly cavalier
the figure of "FitZ Lee"-whO rode midway in
the Democratic Plalsance. and who bowed from
right TO left the hero Of the ceremony. we re-
member later, when all Virginia quoted "il'Z
as the genius of the renaissance, Wheh great
things were predicted for tie descendant OF the
Uotspurs, when nobody south or the Potomac
expected Of him anything less than Democratic
reincarnatlon and a Presidency. Then came
compromise on the Virginia Governorshp, ana
that was realized. Then dream of the Senate
which, like Mr. Rudyard kiplingS light. ap-
pearcd to fail. But all this time our Fitz' re-
NAMED the fetch Of the Virginia faithful-a fig
urc OF great size, thing Of splendor and or deS-
tiny Fame had marked him for its own All
the hopes Of a down-trodden but hgh-spirited
people focused about him.
Last wear il was. we think. that before a huge
f. +. V. Convention assembled in Richmond
tobacco warehouse simple. unpretendng, but
saturated with superiority Our FitZ' appeared,
bcamng, speaking by authority and dripping
with the JUNCTION Of Democracy, and called the
attention Of the assembled chivary To the fact
that a son-a second Grover-had been born to
the House of Cleveland He was few months
ahead If time and trine Off on gender. but he
made the proclamation just the same, and the
saInfcd raftcrs of the warehouse palpitated with
Virginia joy. He stood there, squat. ilorid ana
complacent the herald Of glad Democratic
tdugs. the trllmpcter Of the Cleveland advent,
and in all the land there was no one 80 honorod
and So Joyous. At that moment he might rca-
sOnablv have asked an amhasSadorship or an
alternate place in the Cabinet. He seemed 10
have reached the pinnacle Of greatness.
And now we see "Our FitZ" n mere Collector
OF Internal Revenue, n wrestler with paltry de-
tails-lcss than Il Congressman, smaller than "A
local Boss scarcely larger in local importance
and sordid cmolimcnt than n Coroner or Conn
~ Clerk The biz things have passed him by.
Fat salaries and swings ~ party influence have
left him standing there with open hand and itch
ing palm. We see him, portly, historical ana
vast declining lower scale. vanishing into
the poor obscurlty OF n revenue office and mean
but decent oblivion. Did his fat friend resent
that faulty prophecy? Has Virginia gone back
on n fayorite son who could not materiaze her
rapture? Is this the irony Of fate? Never mind
our Fitz' has abdicaied his traditions and his
promise He has vanished from the chessboard
~ National politics Never more will he be
known as the herald Of the Cleveland dynasty
He has passed. and he will die a dogcatcher or
a village squire. He cannot even hope after this
10 he appointed Garrison OF Fort Thurber.