The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-12-04
THE PR ESS.
MONDAY MORNING. DEC. 4, 1871.


70 conclude in every case that
No. :, demanded by the opposition party is
~, wrong. Congress, which is now
on the eve of assembling, cannot afford to as
srme that every breath of popular discomfort
comes from the ill-will Of disappointed office
cookers. 1t is necessary to discriminate be-
tween disaffection on political and on eco
nomical grounds. The former is due in the
present case to the disappointed ambition OF
certain public men in the Democratic party. |
The latter finds expression chleny In the
same quarter, but some of it is not without
reason and is, of course, eagerly siezed up
on and magniied by men who have interested
motives There is wide difference between
Democratic complainings about the Ku-Klux
bill and the orders of the Executive enforcing
it, and the popular complainings, magnifed
and distorted by Democratic politicians about
the tariff and internal revenue, land grants
and subsidies, the delay in reforming the civil
service and encouraging the revival Of COM
merce. There is no need of paying the
slightest attention to the rawlings of Demo-
cratic orators on the subject of the federal
election law, intended merely to secure to ev-
ery man his due weight in the government by
insuring an honest ballot 1t is idle to waste
words or thought on the Conservative denun-
citation of GENERALIZATION" called out by the
effort of the government to protect its loyal
citizens in the South. Such defamation is
all for political effect. No intelligent man is
much affected by it. 1t is an understood
thing-just as when Daniel Pratt, Jr., COM
plains that Everything is muddled and mix
ed, and nobody amt doing nothing to fix
them" Everybody perceives that in both
these cases the experience is purely subjec-
tive one But it is far different when Demo-
Gratis, taxing hold of a real cause of pop
ular dissatisfaction, denounce the salt
monopoly, the coal monopoly, the iron mo-
nopoly, the condition of the civil service, the
defalcation of government officers, the plum
derng of carpet-bag adventures or the pros
tration of shipbuilding and commerce. When
agitating these latter questions the Democrats
are exercising if they do it honestly and in
diligently, the legitimate function of minor
ity party-that of a censorship and criticism.
And attention must be accorded by the ma
jority party when the opposition speak the
voice of the people on class of grave eco
nomical topics, though hopelessly wrong Oh
matters of primary Importance.
1t is not to be anticipated that the presen
session of Congress will pass without at leas
the repeal of the more obnoxious tariff du
ties, the passage of civil service act that
means something and of some measure that
is well calculated to revive hope in the breast
of the shipbuilder and shipowner. If, in add
ton to these essential measures, the Thanking
privilege should be repealed, the internal rev
enue system so modified as to dispense will
the present needless force of assessors
and collectors in every Congressional
district and steps be taken to hasteI
the return of specie payments, pop
ular rejoicing would be borndless. Doubles
the position Of the Republican party is sucl
with reference to the vital principles of re
publican government - principles infnitel
more important than these mere details {
administration-that it would be able to cal
ry the country without difficulty next sun
mer, if it acted on none of these suggestions
But even the strongest find it expedient to d
right,