New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-19

long too will the managers he In the hands or
a few singers. and just 80 long Will financial
disaster threaten the undertaking. Let Jean dc
Rcszkc and Mclba in London, Cave and Jean
de Rcszkc in New-York refuse 10 sing next
season and both Covcnt Garden and the Metro
poltan Opera House are foredooncd to failure
THEODORE BACON TO ANDREW d. WHITE.
TO the open letter of Andrew d. White, late
ly published. addressed TO several prominent
and influential Democrats and Mugwumps
his personal fricnds-sctting forth with con
ciseness and logical precision the reasons why
I'm existing conditions they should cast III their
lot fully for the time At least. with the party
which they have heretofore opposed Mr. 1hco-
dore Bacon of Rochester one of the gentlemen
addressed, has responded in n letter which ap-
pears in The NcwYork Evening Post. Mr..
Bacon Is n prominent member of the bar of this
State and clasSmate at Yale OF President
White He became n Democrat after passing
through the intermediate Mugwulnp stage, ana,
like many others who entered the Democratic
party by that process, Is rather more amusing
in his devotion 10 the time IGNORED principles
of the party than most Democrats. who. nav
inc been brought up in the faith, perform the
great act Of worshipping AT the shrincs OF
Jefferson and Jackson quite naturally and from
the force of habit With an inherited fondness
for the field of controversy and arena OF de-
ba,e-for his father the Rev. DR.. Leonard Ba-
con. that great light of the Congregationalsts
during long. useful and brilliant career. was
never happy as when he slnelled the battle
afar off and shook himself together for intel
lectual conhict-Theodore unites the resources
of the scholar the attractivcness or the ready
speaker and the charm Of the practSed writer.
He may be extreme in his views and rasping
in his manner. and he may sometimes offend. as
all Mugwumps are apt 10, by a too abrupt
revelation of omnscience. but he writes good
English, is always entertaining and never dull.
He has replied 10 Mr.. White at considerable
length And the burden Of his answer Is that
while he proposes to act in compliance with
Mr. Whites suggestion, so far as voting Tor
Mckinley is concerned. he does 1t not only
with reluctance. but with repugnance. As very
hard choice of evils The most amusing por-
ton of his letter is where he dwcls upon the
distinctive principles of the Democracy, about
which he discoulses quite as eoquently as any
Of the Long Takers or Short Takers at a Tam
many Fourth of-Juy celebration. or as Alci-
blades after his varied experiences might have
forgcts that jefferson hin self abandoned his
distinctive principles in the purchase of Louisi-
ana. and that there never has been a Demo
cratic President since who has not thrown
somersault or stood on his head in utter sub
version of what they call up in Fourteenth
Street on the Fourth of July the distinctive
principles OF Democracy. Mr. Bacon undoubt-
edly means we'll but when he talks about the
t1..
he is discussing an abstraction The party has
had no distinctive principles for great many
years 1t put indistinct and indiscrIminatc pre-
fences in place of them long while ago, and
has been playing upon them ever since as lis
sole capital Mr.. Bacon makes the mistake of
a scholar who in his profound study OF past
history has lost track Of current events. The
Democracy he talks about has absolutely dis
appeared
He talks more to the purpose. though. as we
freely admit when he reproaches the Repub
lican party with what seem to him. and doubt
less to many thousand other intelligent men, to
have been mistakes. There lies before us a
Mugwump newspaper. 'rhe Waterbury Conn
Amcrican'-one Of the brightest of our eX
changes-which asks with Il snccr, what Re
publlcans think to-day of the policy of the party
borough of Nevada as State. That does seem
TO have been a mistake That isseens to-
day But consider the then conditions. The
constitutional amendment abolishlng slavery
could hardly have been passed without ii. In
the minds of a great many honest patriots. not
least Of whom was Abraham Lincoln. that fact
alone justified IT, whatever may have happened
since to call in question it's wisdom. Mistakes
Yes The Republican party Is not infallible
any more than any of It's statesmen. It's leaders
or even its newspapers, is nfalllblc. 1t does
make mistakes 1t has made. what IN the
clear light Of today seem TO have been mis-
takes on the currency question. but did not
seem SO NJ the time Its crownng glory is In
It's aptitude for learning from It's own mistakes
OF Yesterday the highest wisdom for today ana
tomorrow and It's freedom from the notions
and preudiccs which compel n hidebound party
living upon its traditions 10 hold fast to It's
errors out OF false notions Of consistency The
Republican party is not living on It's yesterdays.
but doing the work OF to-day with such wise
provision as morlals may have for tomorrow.
Mr. Bacon snys he will vote for the Repub-
lican candidates holding his nose the while.
Well we welcome his vote gladly, even though
so ungraclously given. He need not hold ms
nose. He may lift il up and scent the whole
some atmosphere Of II vast body of voters, no
less honest no less incge no less pure ana
patriotic than himself. who, though they may
differ IN opinion with him upon minor qles-
lions are courteous and considerable In DISCUSS
Ing them. and do not 90 about either holding
their noses or clcvating them In the air II Is
sometimes better TO hold ones tongue than
ones nose Mr.. Bacon says. In conclusion:
IF the party of individualism "-meaning there
BY, we presume. the Democracy-"has become