Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-11-14

the Senators and Representatives to apply
themselves to practical business, but the
only practical MEASURE which the people
wildly recall is the odious Back-pay bill
It may be said that it is unjust to Congress
thus to single out an unpopular measure
and to take If is the representative work
of the session.. Yet the people cannot bt
blamed, for the Back-pay bill touched
their interests very closely, and was Ger
| tain to provoke resentment and indigna
ton. Why the Republicans who voted
| for it and defended it never foresaw these
consequences has always been mystery
to US. This was one of the eases in which
the party journals proved themselves much
wiser than the party leaders. So far as WI
can recall, no Important Republican jour
nal failed to condemn the Back-pay bill
from the time it was first proposed. Theil
remonstrances and warnings have beer
fully justified by subsequent events, al
though there are some prominent Repub
licans still living, and calling themselves
intelligent beings, who say that the com
plants about the bill in question were
caused solely by the "hubbub" raised il
the newspapers, That only shows how
little they are>able to feel the pulse of pub
lie opinion. Newspapers are only strong
when they truly represent the thoughts
and wishes of the general community.
1 IF mistakes of this kind are to be repeat
ed next Winter the Republican party viii
be utterly wiped out, and no newspapers
or "orators" can save it. Some leaders may
think they know better, but they will bt
wiser by and by. Indeed, it will not bt
sufficient for the party to avoid glazing
errors. 1t must, produce a new and def
mite policy-a broad, sound, and far see
ing policy-adapted to the new and crit
ical circumstances in which we now fine
ourselves placed. It will not do to under
rate the financial crisis, and say that it viii
all be over in s.thirty days." Predictions
founded upon ignorance and thoughtless
ness are not very likely to be verified
There are few public men, Republican o.
Democrat, who seem to have any just ides
of the causes which led to the present de
tplorable confusion in our finances anC
trade, or of the means by which it may b.
remedied. The Democrats simply treat i
as party question, and try to make polit
ical capital out of it-thus conclusiyely
proving their complete unftness to be in
trusted with the task of extricating thu
country from its difficulties. The Repub
licans have thus far done nothing, although
it is in the Republican newspapers tina
the most valuable contributions to the dis
lcussion of the question have appeared
We have offered our own columns very
freely to writer's of all shades of opinion
and in the letters of ttKnickerbocker" a
lone there are facts and suggestions which
might go far toward affording a solution
of the problem.
Congress must take up the subject di
rectly it meets--there ought not to bt
even the usual dilatoriness before the
Christmas holidays. The Republicans
may perhaps allow the Democrats to an
ticipate them, although it is hard to be
tlieve that this will happen.
For the sake of the Republican party, We
should be glad to see men ofou own side
with the requisite vigor and judgment il
this emergency-byt, if they fail, it will
EonIy remain to write suitable epitapl
over the grave of the Republican party.
nThnse d sed Democrats who
voted The Radical ticket at the late
election, and now see that the Demo
cratic party is hot dead-giving this
that and the other thing as an. excuse
for departing from the path of politi-
cal rectitude-should now begin to ex-
hibit s'fruits meet for repentance" and
return to the old fold again. It will
not do, friends, to be making trivial
excuses, and blaming every other per-
son than yourselves for your own wrong
doing and departure from principle.
No matter what this member or that
member of the party may do, that
should be no reason why you should
depart from yourIprinciples. The eyes
of all are upon you, and your former
and present friends will weigh you in
the balance of correct judgment; and
be assured of this, that the result of
that judgment will be against you
with the loss of respect from either
party.