National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-08-18
GEN GARFIELD ON NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

In accepting, a few days ago, the seventh
denomination for Congress in his district,
Gen. Garfield made a short speech, in which
he INDUCED in some politico-philosophical
reflections upon the development of the
country. Mr.. Garfield, we suspect Is q
close student of Mr.. Buckle At any rate,
doing for the United States what Mr.
Buckle has done for England, the chair
man of the Appropriation Committee groups
our history into four or five natural d.
visions or periods Of development which
are, to say the least suggestive and valus-
BILE to the political student They are
first the revolutionary period which gave
US our birth as nation; second, the period
covered by the war of 1912, which demon
strated our ability to maintain our position
among the nations; third, q succeeding Pc
Rod of forty or fifty years, which we de-
voted to the study and building up of our
institutions, and SOLVED questions Of law,
government, education, social rights and
privileges, giving US the distinctive char
"acter which we now possess" fourth,
came the antl-slavery agitation, the end of
which completed another great cycle in
our natural growth" 'cNow," he says,
eve have entered upon q new and i'm
"portant period of our development" what
may be called 'the business era in Amer
"ican politics; not sentimental period, but
Zone in which must be discussed many
"deep. underlying questions affecting the
prosperity Of the people," such as trans
portation, &c.
These suggestions, which we have con-
much more important than might be sup
posed at the first glance, and it will be well
for the leaders of the Republican party if
they will devote themselves to an invesd-
CATION and study Of the hints thrown out in
them. The great trouble with the Repub-
Hcan party to-day is that it is standing stiIl.
During the last four or five years 1t has been
temporizing and toying with the great Is
sues pressing for solution, instead of selling
them boldly and solving them. General
Garheld's divisions may not be entirely &C
curate, but there can be no doubt Of the cor
rectness of his positions, so far as the bust
ness interests of the country are concerned.
What has the Republican majority in Con-
gress done toward the solution Of the rail-
road problem, in which so many millions
of people in the East and the West are d.
rectly and closely concerned2 What has it
done for the restoration Of our commerce,
toward regaining the supremacy of the seas
we once heidi What has it done toward
reconciling labor and capital; toward the
development of the immense and almost
boundless resources of the countryf Abso-
lutely nothing. We have had the days and
the weeks and the months FILTERED away in
idle and proftless talk about the Thanking
privilege, the reduction of few clerks in
the Departments, or some equally trivial
and unimportant matter. At the end Of
session Of Congress there is really nothing
in the way Of craftsmanship or of wise
regard for the interests Of the republic to be
shown. No wonder that the people are
dissatisfied; that States are doubtful and
districts close, and that the news.
paper press is giving expression to angry
mutterings and scathing condemnation.
The failure Of the party to meet the full
popular approval it ought to meet is, in the
words of q distinguished author, because
it is endeavoring "to meet new emergen-
cies with old maxims" General Gar
field seems to see this. Why does he not
lead in the direction he points?