New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-23
WVrPF TO BEGIN.

|
zation and reform Of the Republican party in
| this city and State But The Tribune takes
leave TO submit very respectfully that 1t cannot
be done effectively by making new enrol
ment, revising the old lists shifting the leader
shin round among the active politicians now
managing party affairs, or throwing open the
primaries to Republicans who are too shy and
distrustful to take part In them. Reform to be
effective must begin further back. must strike
deeper must be In its essence fundamental rad
ical. There's nothing the matter with Repub-
ucan principles with the creed Of the party. The
trouble ia with the leaders and their methods.
They keep the party divided into factions, and
90 stand in the way of successful maintenance
of Its principles and It's continuance In power.
There would be no need of reorganization, no
talk of reform, II the party were united how
ever weak 1t might be numerically. Leadership
that holds a party together Is successful even
though 1t does not always carry elections.
Leadership that divides party, and thereby
compasses its defeat ought never to be tolerated
for moment To continue 1t is not merely a
mistake In policy; it is suicidal folly. what the
Republican party Of this city and State stands
In crying need of to-day Is leadership that will
draw Il together and hold 1t there. 1t wants
an organizer, not disorganzer leader. not
driver or bulldozer man, in short who
knows enough to know that responsiveness and
Cancellation are more potent Observation-Disclosures
for winning votes than obstinacy and arrogance
That's where to begin reorganization and re-
form With a leader Of sense and intelligence,
who is capable Of sinking self for the common
good, who will discourage faction, devotlng all
his energies TO uniting and harmonizing the
party, there will be no occasion for the agitat-
Ing Of methods Of reorganization or reform
It ought to be possible to And such leader
in the ranks Of the Republican party of this
city; a man in whom the whole party would
have confidence and whom no faction could
call Its own. Isn't this worth thinking off,
More than 100000 Republicans in this city
are to-day either outside the organization or
so distrustful OF the leaders that they Will not
take part in the primaries or be bound by their
results The reason for this Is obvious, The
Republican organization Is a close corporation
Its leaders and managers, instead Of opening
it's doors and welcoming in all who come with
votes in their hands to strengthen and build up
the party have set up factional tests and in
every way INSTRUCTED voters not of their own
faction who desired to enroll. Selfrespectng
Republicans have been unwilling 10 subject
themselves. In the first place, to the impudent
scrutiny, the overbearing manners and the
coarse nagging and marrying Of the machine
men on guard, and still more reluctant to sur
render TO such men their freedom OF action at
the polls.
1t ts Of course, unnecessary 70 say that Mr.,
Quigg as a campaign manager Is the worst fall
ure ever known in New-York politics. The
reason Is plain. He believes the Republican
party to be IAN intelligent despotsm." He
undertook to be an intelligent despot. He
turned out to be neither intelligent nor des-
pot His methods were brutal. his behavior
pompous and overbearng. his plans puerile and
shortsighted, his calculations wild, his predic-
lions false and his voublity disgusting. He
began early belaboring Republicans who. hav-
| ing minds Of their own differed with him.
| and ne kept 1t up till the last moment. when
| his whole ridiculous fabric fell down and he
| forthwith incontnently fed into the Businesses.
| After a fortnghts recuperation he reappcared
with statement" in the name Of the Master
| Of the State" in which he repeated the same
| rigmarole Of Misrepresentation, sophistry, spe-
cal pleading pettifogging and personal abuse
| which he had kept up during the campaign.
He Is not leader, nor an organizer, nor even
a successful buldozer, though he tried TO be.
Had he been more conciatory and less die
| tatoral; had he tried 10 win voters instead Of
| driving them away with bad language; had he
| shown more sense and less vanity, the result
| might have been different
And the Republican organization, with the
| cheerful idiocy which has characterized all its
| proceedings under his direction, seriously pro-
poses to continue him as Its executive head,
| Again we ask IL there Is not in the Republican
| ranks some one competent to be n real leader.
who will begin reform at the bottom by striv-
ing to conciliate factions, reconcile differences
and unite the party? II there be such a one.
why may not the party impress him into its ser