Year: 1873




anything like vigorous life. One OF the reasons
is that the paSty platforms are as like as two
peas. They differ only in mutual elimination
and recrimination According to the repub-
icans all the evils from which we are suffer-
ing spring directly from the Tammany Ring,
while the democrats point out Custom House
Ring equally bad with that of Tammany as
having succeeded to the place once occupied
by Tweed and Connolly On this subject
there is little need for any waste of sympathy,
and we need not even inquire too closely
whether each party paints the other in faith
full colors We may accept the picture they
| draw of each other as in the main correct and
deduct the true principles upon which the
people should act in casting their votes at the
| November election


During the last two or three years the poll
| ticians on both sides have made strenuous
efforts to free parties from the trammels Of
principles. In this they have only partly sue
| ceeded because the result has only been to
make the platforms almost identical On the
back-pay question republicans and democrats
are demanding repeal of the law increasing
the pay Of Congressman and other public
officers On the transportation question the
platforms Of both parties contain generaliies
| calculated to tickle the farmers by seeming
| opposition to the monopolists But, after all,
there is very little meaning in these resolu-
| tons they are not the results Of determined
| purpose fashioned in fit and chosen words. A
| great party talking in the language of street
4 Ia,
cannot be in earnest or is deficient in the
craftsmanship to offer anything better, else
it would speak in more earnest and more
dignifed phrases. Nothing can be SO dis
| graceful and nothing so hollow and insin-
cere as the language of the democratic
resolution demanding specie payments. The
great democracy of the State Of New York
''scouts the Presidents pill for panics more
imitation, more subsidies, more ballooning,"
and yet it has nothing better to offer as the
''true remedy and cure than the ''tried and
historic principles of the old democracy"
This is simply pitiable; but it is good in this,
that it is some sort of expression of opinion,
though of wretched and untutored politicians,
upon very great and very important public
| question. And it is better than the course of
the republicans at Utica, who failed to express
| any opinion whatever on the subject. 1t is
| impossible that the tariff, the finances and the
currency can be ignored by the party in
power, and this trihing reflects great discredit
upon the republican leaders in this State.


1t often happens in the history of parties
that both sides affect to agree upon questions
| on which the people are agreed; either ignore
important questions altogether or treat them
| in windy resolutions, and seek to maintain
| political and partisan organization by abuse
of each other. When these things happen it
is sure sign that existing parties have ac-
complished their work; that no field of use
fulness remains for them, and that the sooner
they are extinguished the better for the
country. These are the conditions of parties
to-day. Each is alike deficient in purpose and
in craftsmanship. Neither has comprehen-
sive policy on the transportation question
which will restrain the monopolists and SUBJ
serve the interests of the people Though
both pretend to stand upon the same basis
neither will go into Congress prepared to give
practical effect to the meaning of the party
resolutions. We doubt if there is sufficient
wisdom in Congress to solve the problem
even if there was integrity enough
in the two Houses to allow it to
be solved. On the other questions, especially
the financial question, there is like inapti-
tude for dealing with them. The country is
just now suffering from o want of practical
craftsmanship. What, then, is the duty Of the
people in the present crisis? Certainly not to
sustain platforms which are without meaning
and support parties which have no genuine
purpose-platforms and parties which are
identical in everything except partisanship.
The time for this kind of thing went by with
the usefulness of the political organizations.
1t is now required that the people, disregard
ing fealty to effete parties should turn their
attention to making statesmen by putting the
best men in Office without regard to politica
limitations.


When country is suffering from q want Of
true craftsmanship it is only too apt to expe-
rience all the evils of feeble financial policy,
an inflated currency and over-taxation. There
is scarcely member Of the Forty-third Con-
gress who has higher idea of the tariff ques-
tion than as problem for the protection OF
special interests by log-rolling legislation. We
doubt if any Of the democratic politicians can
present feasible plan for return TO specie
payments. We must get rid of the hucksters
in politics on both sides and find statesmen,
not politicians, to take their places 1t is this
that makes the present canvass in this State
important There being no issues to be set
tied, the contest hinges or ought to hinge,
only upon the choice Of men. Especially is
this true Of candidates for the State Legislat-
ure After SO many futile efforts at reform
it would be a grand triumph to elect an honest