The New York herald., 1875-12-03
Let Us Have Light.

Our esteemed and scholarly contemporary,
the World, throws light upon the canvass for
the Speakership. We agree with the World
that lit is the business of the democrats OF
the House to elect Speaker" Recognizing
that journal as the organ of the party, we are
glad to sit at the feet of its editor and learn
democratic wisdom. Any criticisms that we
may venture to make upon a matter so
sacred in the eyes of the World as a demo-
cratic caucus are inspired wholly by desire
to obtain light and knowledge If the demo-
Gratis elect Mr.. Kerr Speaker that is their
business, as the World emphatically puts it,
and none of ours. At the same time, if we
we're democrat, we should ask, Is it the
best way toward Kerr's success to aver that
che is one of the men whose election by the
House for its Speaker would add five hun
dred thousand votes to the democratic ballot
boxes next November9" OF course we
accept this statement from the World
with implicit faith, because the World
knows But it awakens uneasy
thoughts as to the character of the other
democratic members. We believed, because
we believe in the World, that the democratic
party, in it's ''tidal wave" triumph, elected
none but honest men, free from s'rings" and
jobs and corrupt associations, any one of
whom would be fit for the Speakership, so
far as integrity is concerned. Did not the
World exhort us to this effect? Yet here is
the disheartening confession that there are
democratic members of Congress whose cleo
tion to the Speakership would drive away
from the polls half million of democratic
voters Now, what are we to think2 If the
World desires it to be understood that Mr.
Kerr is to be chosen Speaker upon the
ground that he is the only honest democrat
in Congress and that his election would
satisfy this half million democrats, who
and Mr. Randall, then the canvass is plain.
But what can the country think of House
of Representatives the majority of whose
members are put under q serious imputation
by their leading organ2
The World Eliminates it's interesting dis
cussion of this question by another point,
which should not be overlooked in our effort
to do justice to it's opinions. 1t denounced
the Advocate General, Judge Holt, the other
day, because he was among the political
renegades of 1861" BY this the World means
that Judge Holt was one of the democrats
to sustain the republican party of Lincoln.
Are we to understand that the same cam
paign which gives us Mr.. Kerr as the only
honest democrat in Congress- which presents
MIR. Tilden to the country as the only honest
democratic Governor in the States, is also to
ocrats who, in 1861, followed John A. Dix,
Edwin NJ. Stanton, John A. Logan, Mont
gomery Blair, Stephen A. Douglas and
George B. Mcclellan in the advocacy Of the
Union and the support of the war?
We hesitate to express an opinion upon q
matter SO grave as this, but it seems to us
that the generally temperate and magisterial
World allows its feryor to warp its judgment.
If the democratic party proposes to carry this
country upon these issues-frst, that none
but Bourbons shall come to power when
power is to be given (; that Mr.. Kerr is the
only uoneSt ueuocIat Al hCoiBleSS, tuao 6oF-
ernor Tilden is the only honest Governor in
the States, and that the democrats who pre-
ferred the Union cause under Lincoln to
the weak and treacherous administration of
Buchanan are political renegades"-
the republican party in the next campaign
for the Presidency will elect its candidate by
as large a majority as that by which Mr..
Grant defeated Mr.. Greeley.