Year: 1873

REPORM FON-PARTISAN.


II is now nearly three years since the he-


form movement in this city began TO assume


such character and proportions as TO promise
| the destruction of the Ring that had 40 long
ruled and robbed us. Up To that tline .ho
fight against the Tweed-Sweeny comDinatloh


had been IN 80 great measure partisan oon-
| test, and the treacherous alliance OF some
| leading Republicans with the Ring had 80


weakened public faith in the ability OF


disposition of any political party to redeen
the city, that there seemed little prospect OF


relief and the taunt, "What are you going to


do about it 7" was flung in the face Oh
helpless community. 1t was not until oamuel


j. Tilden and Charles 0COnor, the ab!est
and most influential members OF their
party in the city, took the matter


seriously in hand, and determined that
their party should no longer be responsible
for such robbery and misrule, and the city


should no longer suffer under it, that the way
| out began TO be indicated and Municipal Re


form took practical shape 1t was easy enough
| for Republicans TO inveigh against tho Ring
| and denOunce their crimes specifically and III
general terms That was part of their capl-
tai the stock in trade of the opposition was


the misgovernment of the party in power. so
long as these hostile demonstrations were con-


fined to one party and seemed to be OF q


purely partisan character, they had little force
| or consequence, and things went on in the
old way. But Messrs. Tilden and OConor
came into the Reform movement and
with them thousands of honest Demo-


Gratis, and they made II non-partisan. That
e


was the first glimmer of hope. The labors OF
those two gentlemen are well known; the re-
suits of them have been seen in the complete
overthrow of the Ring and the establishment
of an honest administration, with Mayor Have
meyer at its head. We have to congratulate


ourselves that so much has been accomplished
in so short period. Ii seems but few days
since we were at the mercy OK the Tammany
Ring, and their What are you going to do
about it " was unanswered and uDanSwcr
able.


We owe it to such men as Messrs. Tiden
and 0'COnor and the honest Democrats who
acted with them, that the question has been
answered and the rOgues discomfted and put
| to flight. Their fight was made against rOgues


of whatever party, against rascality under what


ever party name it was concealed. They had





crusade-why should MT theyi The outs had


no earthly reason to defend the ins, but every
reason to help overthrow them. Nothing was
easier OF more natural than for Republicans
! to assist in such reform movement. The
| masses of the Republican party were hearty
and enthusiastic in their support of reform


for the sake of reform. How sincere the
leaders were has been unhappily shown in
| their political management during the past
year In the midst of their rej0iclngs at the
overthrow of corruption, they entered upon
| Presidential campaign in which, by their
| own fraudulent practices, they threw In


the shade all they had ever charged


upon their opponents, and carried the


election by frauds of the most high
handed character; protesting vigorously
their devotion to reform, the while they were
| organizing repeaters and falsifyng counts,


and using in their own behalf the villainous
practices they pretended to be putting down.
In the State, under pretense of taking "A


proper degree of responsibility upon them


selves, they seized upon every opportunity
for profit or gain. In the city they undertook


TO defeat the reform they bad pretended to


promote by turning over the Government to
q flng ~ Tascdlly as INC ont MnlCn Hdu Dccu


put to flight. The rascals of the other party


were pursued relentlessly wherever they could
do il with safety 10 themselves their own


pet rascals went untouched and uninvestigated
| 1t was fortunate indeed that Municipal Re-
| form was not the work and cannot be the
| boast of any party 1t was no worse to be in
| the power of the Tammany Ring than to be
| at the tender mercies of tho Custom house.
| The stronghold of corruption is in thorough
going, unquestoning partisanslip. No party
has q monopoly Of rascals or of honest men.
They mix in both and consciously or un-
consciously work together. The escape from
corrupt administration is in the abandonment
of partisanship. That was the salvation of
New York it must be of the nation. Affairs
are no more discOuraging in the National
Administration now than they were i'll our
municipal management two years ago.


The men who last year contributed most to
the success of the Republican party, in the
belief that the Administration of Gen. Grant
would carry out the reforms he promised,
have had their eyes somewhat opened by his
abandonment of them. They will see better
before another Presidential election comes, and
act more wisely.


THE MONTH OF MARY.