New-York tribune., 1896-05-26
IiTEST FROM THE TANDEM.

! Democratic contemporary, "The New-Nork
Sun" has recovered its equanmty; has
smoothed its wrinklcd 'front.' and now. instead
of calling folks hard names TO fright the souls
of fearful adversaricS, II caperS nlmDly III the
Anti-AIcKinley circus 10 the splitting pleas
ings Of the time -honorcd, mirthprovokng mid
dle-nnme Joke 1t will be remembered that The
| Tribune lately had occasion to call attention.
more in sorrow than in anger-tO the habit into
which our contemporary had fallen-no doubt
| unconsciously-s il became Mr.. Platts per
sonal organ of calling Mr.. Mckinley hard names
such as ''Prospcritys Dumb Doubleface. Ma
| ior MuInchancc" The Yelled Candidate of Can
! ton" The Muzzled Man. and so on. There
| was Of course more or less humOr in this, but
| II was grim and sardOnic. and did not by any
means compensate the habual reader for the
omission Of the middle name joke which for
| the time being seemed 10 fall into innocuous
| dcsuetude We now record the fact with unal-
| loved satisfaction that our lively contemporary
| has in measure dropped the grim humor Of
epthets and returned to its old and genial play
| fulness with middle names In its Monday $
| issue it only mentions Mckinley twice as MA
| jor Mum"-an abbreviation, we presume. FOR
''Mumchancc"-but 1t has great fun with 'John
Enigma Milhoand" Marcus Antonlus Han
| na" Cornelius Nepos Bliss and various other
persons whose middle initials make them shin
ing marks for the wit of the pcrmu'er. We CON
gratulate our contemporary on its resumption
of genial temper.
But we are pained to observe that the other
member Of Mr. Platt's tandem, THE Evening
Eczema" Is in considerable distress of mind
over what 1t calls "thc Mckinley farce and
"the frvoly with which Mckinleys friends III
this city treating tho crisis" which. II says
"is something extraordinary" And our pain on
this account Is oil the more poignant because oi
the fact that The Tribune seems To have fallen
under the censure Of our serious and veraclous
contemporary for having contributed TO the eA-
traordnary frvolity with which "the crisis Is
treated His only organ here. The Tribune
the principal Republican organ also" says The
Eczema" treats the business men who are
anxious about his position on the currency
"to column or two Of childish bufooncry every
day in which the subject Of money Is never
"mentioned while their socitudc Is made IN"
subject OF such fun as probably marks Sat'ir-
day nights at Il ncwsboys' lodging kousr
Now we are free 10 say that this hurts. W"
feel It more than we can express. For THE
Eczema"-whose relations with Ill It's contem-
porarics and. in fact with the world M large.
are so full of kindlIness and good nature-to say
that The Tribune has been treating "crisis
with childish bunooncry what can We
say more than II makes us sorry. Not ~ being
called "childish': with that gentle rebukc We
are familiar, rs nrc most OF our contemporaries;
II Is an admontory phrase which 'Thc Eczema
keeps standing simply because the intellectual
fceblencss OF the world at large from The Ec-
zemas" point Of view requires it's constant Use.
But we do have this to say in our own defence:
that we were not aware that there was any
"crisis' We have only meant t. bc reasonably
cheerful viii The Eczema" kindly accept our
apology for this unscemlnessf We really cannot
help H. VIII II also accept our thanks for cor
rectng n popular dclusion regarding The Trih-
unc? mo one would suppose that the authors
says The Eczema" speaking Of this childish
bufioonery.' are adults. and yet they probably
are" Thanks. Thanks. We nre probably
adults. No such compliment as that has ever
been paid by The Eczema" 10 any American
newspaper We are very proud of II.
one word more 10y way OF explanation rather
than Of apology our contemporary II evident.
ly grieved because The Tribune speaking of the
team which Mr. Platt had harncsscd and was
driving with such uncommon success. described
them as wild horses. broncos. kicking mules
and braying jackasscs" II was merely figure
OF speech Bui our sensitive contemporary
keeps audlng to IL n II II were personal re-
fection We did not intend II. And In order
TO remove any doubt about Il. and r. rc-csiabsh
the delightful professional comfy and cordial
relations which The Eczema" has struggled -
hard 10 maintain In the newspaper fraternity.
we here and now withdraw the terms kicking
mules and brayIng jackasses" II shall not be-
said that The Tribune deliberately INDUCES in
personal reflections upon It's contemporaries and
especially upon so aniablc, vcracIous. wcll.bred
and scholarly contemporary The Evening
Eczema" We desire also 10 repeat that if we
have treated the crisis' with childish bunoon-
cry il was The fault OF our Grass aud besOttcd
ignorance In not recognizing II rs crisis"
We did not think II was crisis" Still II may
be. Mr. Plat. whom our contemporary prefers
to Mckinley for the same reason that II prefers
eczema 10 double pneumonia. says II ls And
with the aid Of his extraordinary tandem. THE
Sun" and "The Eczema" he may bc able to
| demonstrate IT, Meanwhile let us all be ami.
| able and good -naturcd THE sun has resumed
| something of its oldtimc good humor and chirps
| like a grnsshopper. Why will not The Ec-
zcma" forget for the moment that the weight
| OF the whole universe Is on It's shoulders brace
| mp and have fun with The rest of us: For real
| ly. there isn't any crisis and we may he hap
py yet.