New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-12-07
BACKING THE BACK PAYISTS.

! Who would have supposed that after
urging the enormities Of the back pay
swindle through the whole election, the
Democratic party in Congress would have
| endorsed the transaction? Yet such is the
| astounding fact. Just when repentant
| Republicans bowed in sackcloth to the
wrath of an indignant people, and intro
duced three separate bills ofatonement, the
Democratic caucus nominated Mr.. Fernan-
do Wood for Speaker. 1t is said that larger
proportion of Democrats than of Republi
cans voted for the pay bill, but still they
throw the responsibility upon the Repub-
lican Congress. The New York Tribune,
late the liberal ally of the Democracy, is
shocked at this unexpected Endorsement.
1t quotes the resolutions adopted by the
New York Democrats, denouncing the
grabbists of both parties. 1t charges the
success of the Democratic party in New
York to this hypocrisy. The Tribune says:
the first winning card they had played for
long time. But when the representatives
| of the party came together at Washington
they disclosed at once the hOllOwness of
their ante-election professions and prom
ises, and went back on the entire record.
The reason for it is, of course, plain enough.
A majority of them had voted for the bill
and touched the plumber.
And so they flung in the faces of all the
Democratic conventions that had denounced
the grab, the nomination of Fernando
Wood, a chief salary grabber for Speaker,
and by that act saddled themselves with
more Of the responsibility for the measure
than could with any show of reason be
charged upon .heir opponents.
Then the Tribune thus discards and de-
nounces its Fusion friends:
The truth is, and it is useless to under
take to disguise it, the Democratic party is
hopeless. 1t has survived its principles, its
sense of honor. its integrity, and it's capacity
tor usefulness. 1t lags supert1uous. The
best service it can do the country is to dis
band
The New York U1orld, with an effrontery
scarcely surpassed by the retired Estates
man. in the State prison, thus admits the
nomination Of back pay speaker:
Nevertheless Mr.. Fernando Wood, who
has not returned his back pay, was nomi-
mated and received most Of the votes of
Democratic members for Speaker.
We can understand that Democratic
members who will vote without hesitation
to repeal the salary grab may have had
great deal OF hesitation about voting against
the caucus nominee for Speaker, as feeling
that the issue was improperly raised in
caucus called for specific purpose, or that
the caucus nomination bound their votes.
Of course this does not disqualify these
men for further afiliation with the Dem
ocratic party, nor does it make their con-
stituents responsible TOR their. acts. The
World pallates this as mere personal
peccadillo of these members. It does not
consider this Endorsement of main salary
grabber as making them the worse Dem
ocrats, for it says:
We exhort our Democratic Representa-
tives in Congress to raise the issue, at the |
earliest possible day, by demanding the re-
peal of the salary grab law. Their vote for |
Speaker, we regret to say, is equivocal. Let |
their vote for repeal be unanimous. That |
will be unequivocal.
The World says.
No protectionist is Democrat. No salary |
grabber is Democrat.
In the language of Mrs. Sairey Camp, |
''sich bragian imperence' we have never
seen. Why does not the World in the |
paragraph quoted state that Mr.. Fernando
Wood, the Democratic nominee for
Speaker, 'has not returned his back pay"
Does it not exhort him with other Demo-
cratic Representatives in Congress to vote
for the repeal of the salary grab? And
yet it says emo salary grabber is a Demo-
crat." ''No protectionist is Democrat
Yet We have elsewhere quoted the Cincin-
natl Inquirer, Democratic organ, as hav-
ing said: unfortunately the whole
Democratic) party in Pennsylvania are
protectionists, with thousands and tens
of thousands in New Jersey, New York,
Ohio, New England and other States"
Well has the New York Tribune, as above
quoted characterized the shameless free
booting in the name Of a once honored
and honorable party.