Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-12-25
The Opening of Congress.

The Opening Of Congress.
On the day that William NJ Tweed, the
late master of the Democratic party in
New York, was sent to the Pesitentiary,
Fernando Wood, of whom Tweed might
we'll have taken lessons in political moral
ity, was nominated by the Democratic
Congressional caucus as the Democratic
candidate for Speaker of the House of
Representatives, and received, when the
House organized, seyenty-seven of the
eighty.One Democratic votes cast. Mr.
Wood was nominated in the caucus by
Mr. Randall, of Pennsylvania, a Demo
cratic protectionist and salary grabbcr :"
and when Mr.. Holman, of Indiana, pro-
posed that the Democrats party should
not justify the grab" in any manner, Mr..
Randall and other Democratic leaders
SO fell upon him and rent him, sustained
by the action of the caucus, that Mr. Hol-
man and Mr.. Cox withdrew. The Re
publican caucus, on the contrary, repre-
sentng majority of one hundred and
seven in the House, on the first evening of
the session declared for the unconditional
repeal of the increased salary law, and
appointed a committee to prepare a new
bill upon the subject
Mr., Fernando Woods political char
acter and career are as notorious as those
of Tweed. 1t is asserted that he was not
a "grabber" The truth is that he was
absent from the House when the final
vote upon the grab" was taken, but upon
Buffers motion to reconsider the vote
by which, on the 2sth of February the
grab" amendment was lost, Mr. Wood
al nni N,Fha
was passed he took the money, and has
kept it. His nomination and the con
temptuOus refusal of the caucus to con
denim the grab merely confirm what we,
in common with others, nave constantly
said, that the Democratic party represents
no principle, no policy, except plumber,
and is sheer impertinence in our poll
tics Its success at various points in the
autumn elections was wholly negative;
and if there were any expectation in any
mind that the Democratic party could
possibly become an organization TO which
honest men might look for reform and
progress, the opening scenes in Con
gress have utterly dispelled it, The
party made fine pretensions before the
election It's Pennsylvania Convention
refused to choose a grabber for its
"a
time, the "grabber" was nominated by
the party managers, who, to satisfy public
clamor, had prepared resolutions de
nouncing the grab" The Democratic
Convention in New York ostracized Mr.
Kinsella, whose oflensc in the matter,
however, was less than that of Fernando
Wood; for while like him he took the
! money, he not only did not vote upon the
] hJt hn al on a Il
not vote as Wood did, for the reconsider.
alton which secured the grab" The
value of these autumnal Democratic per
formanccs is shown by the action Of the
leaders in Washington.
And this Is the party action. The i'm
mediate and highest party authority in
our politics is the National Convention.
But next to that, and. permanent, is the
body Of party Representatives in Con
gress, which was the predecessor
of the Convention. This body has
done precisely what the shrcwdest
Republicans anticipated Give "a thief
rope enough, says the proYerb, and he
will hang himself "The court Of Rome, !"
says William Goodwin, "rcposed with a
generous confidence upon the folly and
blindness of mankind" 1t was clear 10
sagaCiOus observers that the Democratic
party, which has no root whatever in
principles OF policy, or even in senti
ment, nor even a cunning leadership, nor
the sense, or wish, or power 10 procure IT,
but which stupidity pursues the phantoms
of twenty years ago, would be 80 heady
and pulled with its seeming success ia
the elections that it would SEIZE the first
| opportunity to prove that the apparent
/ light in its eyes was mere phosphore.
ccnce. But the most audacious Of those
observers did not dare TO hope that its
Representatives in Congress would sheer
at the repeal Of the grab" and nomi.
nate Fernando Wood for Speaker. The
/ only wonder left is that they did not pass
a resolution of coincidence with Tweed
--Harper's We>kly