The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-20
The Inn.tisa Question In Party Poll


the infationists by his decided negative ii
was certain that no bill resembling the one
vetoed could become law during the next
three years. The passage of another infla-
ton bill by the Senate could not therefore,
have been intended as measure of practical
finance. 1t was only piece of political
strategy. With the known views Of the Presi-
dent, the imitation leaders cannot believe that
the question has any financial life or that it,
agitation can lead to any financial result
which they would regard as satisfactory. Un-
less they are indulging q blind and aimless
opposition to the settled determination Of
General Grant, they are prosecuting the con-
troversy with an expectation that some politi-
cal advantage may be gained. notwithstand-
ing the utter subversion of their financial
hopes during the residue of this Presidential
| term. olraN EG
Mr.. Morton and his coadjutors are proba-
bly, of opinion that the republican party will
lose nothing by any course they may take on
this subject, inasmuch as the democrats are
as much divided upon it as the republicans.
A majority of the democratic Senator'S voted
for the last imitation bill as well as majority
of the republican Senator's Neither party
as whole has record on this question
which will be of any service to it in popular
contest with the Others. The persistent repub-
lican infiationists run no such risk as they
would if the democracy presented united
front. The real stake for which they are play
ing is not a hopeless expansion of the cur
rency but the Presidential nomination of
their party in 1876. And as against any other
candidate than General Grant, it is by no
means desperate game
This sectional maneuvre for controlling the
Republican National Convention in favor of
Western candidate would not seem very hope
full, in view of the fact that majority of the
republican papers of the West approve of the
veto. But the imitation Senators and Rep
resentatives do not regard this fact as sure
indication of Western opinion. They may
say it is indefinite and unreliable, because
mere statement of the comparative number of
the newspapers, without the amount of their
circulation, proves very little one way or the
other. They may also say that even
allowing the aggregate circulation on both
sides to be in proportion to the num-
Der of the journals, it is no infal-
lible index Of Western opinion, because
editors may have been influenced by
Difference for the President To get
at their real views the statistics should have
been gathered while the question was still
pending in Congress previous to the veto,
when they expressed unbiased opinions.
The infationists who do not accept the polling
Of the Western journals as conclusive will
be apt to ask how many of the editors who
support the veto hold federal Offices or have
friends who do; how many of them are
channels Of government advertising which
the administration may take away. The fact
that the imitation Congressman maintain an
unbroken front and show no signs Of yielding
is pretty good evidence that in their opinion
they are supported by q majority of their con-
stituents. They seem to have no fears that
the firm stand they have taken on this ques-
ton will interfere with their reelection
However it may be in the West and South
we do not doubt that majority of the people
of the whole country are opposed to imitation.
But there is such an utter confusion of party
lines on this question that the people may not
get an opportunity to give square vote either
for imitation or against it. Our politics are
practically controlled by small minority of
active place hunters 1t is not majority Of
the people who CONTROL but less than major
ity of the dominant party, as must necessarily
be the case in the caucus government into
which our political system has degenerated.
Even in theory public affairs ore controlled
by about one-fourth of the voting population;
but in practice by much smaller proportion.
In theory majority Of each political party
selects its candidates and makes its platform.
A bare majority Of the successful party will
usually comprise rather more than one-fourth
of the whole number of citizens. But in
point of fact the country is governed by
majority of that small portion of the success
full party who attend its caucuses and thereby
control the action Of it's national conventions.
Probably not one-third Of the legal voters be-
longing to either party habitually md its
caucuses. Instead of exertions being made to
bring them out, as is done at the elections,
the wirepullers prefer their absence, in order
that they may more easily pack the conven-
tions by sending delegates of their own way
of thinking.
The practical question with Morton and his
supporters is whether they have strength
enough in the West to manipulate and mould
the republican caucuses and secure the
Western delegates to the National Conven-
ton. The Convention has the same
geographical constituency as Congress, and
if each district which is at present
represented in Congress by an infationist
member, should send a delegate of the same
stripe to the National Convention, Morton
would have good chances for the nomina-
ton. When he had once gained this position