The New York herald., 1875-12-05


British hands and homes
The speakership-AThe Restoration of
tho Bourbons."
The democratic caucus assembled yester-
day afternoon and after three ballots NOM
mated Mr.. Kerr. Of Indiana The vote on
these ballots shows that Mr.. Kerrs strength
from the beginning made him the prominent
candidate, and that Mr.. Cox, of New York,
held the balance of power. Mr. Randall's vote
did not exceed sixty-three, and the friends
of Mr.. Cox at the end of the second ballot,
finding it impossible to disturb the support
of Mr. Kerr or Mr.. Randall, went almost
in body to the support Of the gentle
man from Indiana. The election of Mr..
Kerr places in the Speakers chair gentle
man of character, who will no doubt
perform the duties of that Office with dignity
and fairness. The elements which elected
him, however, are not calculated to strengthen
the party throughout the country. From
the very beginning Mr.. Kerr has been sup
ported by the Bourbons of the de-
mocracy. He represents that element
which has labored since the begin
ming of the war to return the democratic
party to the position it occupied under
Buchanan. His success as Speaker is vir-
tually repetition of the policy which made
Cockrell Senator from Missouri Wallace
from Pennsylvania and Eaton from Connec-
ticut. 1t shows that the leaders of the demo-
cratic party have learned nothing from the
results of the war; They are as stiff-necked
in accepting the consequences of that great
event as Pharaoh when he held the people of
Israel and would not let them go.
The success of Mr.. Kerr is also an i'm
putation upon large part of the democratic
party now In Congress. So far as it affects
the Presidency it is the success of the
friends of Mr.. Tilden, aided by Mr.. Cox.
They have succeeded in throwing aside the
just ambition of every Eastern man, of Mr..
Wood, Mr.. Randall and many others perfect
to make way for Tilden's chances before
the next Democratic Convention We question
whether an act SO selfish as this will carry
with it the rank and file of the democracy,
even in New York. If the democratic party
exists only to elevate Mr. Tilden, if all his
reform plans in New York are moth
ing more than Tammany schemes for the
Presidential nomination, and if the secret,
dark lantern, Know Nothing policy of Tam
many is to be transferred to the country
then we understand the full meaning of
Mr. Kerr's election and the danger that it
will bring to the democratic party through
out the States
The democracy would have found them
selves in much better position, so far as the
country is concerned, and especially 80 far
as the South and East are concerned, if
they had taken candidate like Mr.. Ran
dali, who represents the backbone of the
party, who is thoroughly fit for the Speaker
ship, and whose efficiency in the House on
the great occasion Of the Force bill cam
paign, pointed to him as the competent
man to hold this high Office. Nor do we
think the democratic party will be aided by
the fact that the election Of Mr.. Kerr was
intended to be rebuke to the aspirations of
dishonest democrats" The fact that the
caucus Of the democratic party is willing
to signify that it elects Mr.. Kerr because it
was afraid to intrust power to democrats as
prominent as himself in the confidence of
the party will not be without its effect upon
the country. Altogether the event is de-
plorable, looking at it from democratic
point of view, and it seems the democrats
will never learn wisdom. This House,
which came into power to reform the
country, to overthrow Bourbonism, to
free the party from the malign infu-
ence of Tammany Hall seems to begin in the
old, old way. This election gives the repub
licans another chance. If Grant will only
rise to the dignity of the situation and step
aside from all tempting ambitions, and in
imitation of Washington, or even of our own
Recorder Hackett write letter making his
determination clear, he will give the
republicans an opportunity to sweep the
country like prairie fire. This opportunity
they will only be too glad to accept Let
Grant waive his ambition and unite heartily
with the better sense of his party, and it
may be that in electing Kerr as the repre-
sentative of Tammany's baneful policy and
Tildens selfish ambition the democrats have
abandoned the fruits of the ''tidal wave" tri-
umph and made republican success posi-
BILE next November
usoxws oF the RelfUf0ua Press.