The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1870-09-03
Reducing the Majority.

Reduction Of the Radical majority being
unanimously voted to be q pubic and
party blessing, of course the more of II
the better, and various Radical organs are
competing with each other in increasing
the number of Congressional districts in
which they admit their party Is to be de-
featod. The Chicago Post decides that
forty is as great a majority as a party,
for its own good, ought ever to have" in
the lower House of Congress, and 1t &C.
cordingly distributes the losses 50 as to
bring about that desirable result, more OF
less. 1t gives the Democrats gains of six
Congressman in Tennessee, four in North
Carolina, two each in New York, Ohio
and Pennsylvania, and n each In Ala.
bama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana,
Louisiana, Mississippi Missouri, New
Jersey and Texas; but as II would be very
bad ~generalship to be beaten along the
entire line, 1t sets off against the gain OF
twenty five thus conceded to the Democ-
racy, q Radical gain Of n member In
Kentucky and another In Illinois, thus
making the formers net gain twenty three
and the Radical majority in the next
Hoase OF Representatives forty-four. The
party would thus have not only the precise
majority the Post considers the correct
thing, corresponding to the mystic mum.
Der of the Forty Thieves Of our old
friend ALI Baba), but four to spare for
accidents. The Missouri Democrat how
ever, does not see the reduction proposed
by its Illinois brother in the faith, but
goes eighteen better, reducing the con-
templated Radical majority to merely
twenty-six in the next House, or 1874 Rad
icals to l06 Democrats. It obtains these
figures by rejecting the Democratic gain
In Missouri and the Radical gain In iii
nois which the Post predicts, (the general
result In both States combined Remaining.
however, the tame), and by concedinr
further Democratic gains of one member
IN each OF the States of Alabama, Georgia,
Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia,
New York and Ohio, and two in Penn.
syivanla, in all, nine,. or q difference of
eighteen In the Radical majority. If some
other Radical organ would only lump
ahead OF the Democrat as far as 1t has out
leaped the Post, an admission of a further
gain OF nine Democratic Congressman
would reduce the majority to eight, and
we would have to carry only i've more
districts to have ourselves a majority Of
two In the House Of Representatives BY
the time the votes are all counted the
Radicals may possibly concede us that
inquire, or even more 1t Is q good sign
that even before the Congressional can
vases have fairly begun, one Radical or
gan comedies q reduction Of forty six on
their majority In the present House, and
another Immediately increases that reduc. |
ton TO sixty four.
While q cadet at West Point, John
Phoenix was asked, in an examination.
what he would do If placed in command
Of q beleaguered fortress |; he promptly
answered that as it was an axiom of mill.
tary engineering that every fortress could
be captured In time, he would e~yacuate
his, invite the besiegers into 1t, and then
quietly st down before it and enjoy him
self until the axiom made 1t surrender to
him. Now IT Is equally an axiom Of pc
litical engineering that every party In
power particularly such a mean, rapa.
cious and stupid one as the Radical mo
nopolist faction NOW lording It in Con-
gressl, must surrender that power sooner
or later. Therefore the quickest, safest
and most scientific course for the Radicals
Il, instead OF deliberately m~anouvering to
hold their party together by reducing Its
majority, TO give up the government 81
once to the beleaguering Democracy they
can then encamp outside, waiting for the
period when they, in their turn, may re-
enter the peoples fortress. They can
count on doing 90 with the absolute GER
tainty Of political science somewhere
about the Both Of February, in any year
they may prefer.-Mssouri Republican.