The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-02-11
Warwick.

Warwick.
Warwick, the king maker, WIS aG i'm
poItant figure in English history Throughout
mcst of that very romantic portion Of il
known ns the Wats of the Roses. uis i'm.
portauce was to u great tXtyht personal AID
self. acquired orr American Warwick i.
the creation of pusillanimous Congress
Oar King maker has not 50 poetic name
as Warwick-in his case it is only Bradley.
We are not setting out to find fault with
Bradley. The exact bearing of what he
has already done is not known here at the
date of this present writing, and what he lie
! likely to do hereafter is still less known. We
are setting out to find fault with the Dem
| ocratic members of Congress.
1t is true that Judge Bradley NAV, in
giving this first casting vote, have acted
without partisan bias so far as he knew it
is true also, that he may hereafter so vote
as to seat Tilden, or even Tilden and Hen
bricks but for that we shall have to thank
Providence only, having been saved by it
without the concurrence and in spite of the
blHndcring of our milk and water Congress.
Bradley ia the sole M bitter of the Presiien
tial test; second, that he ia Republi-
can, if not Radical and third, that he has
virtually been vested with his high func-
tcss Is contidng political opponents.
The Commission as constituted by the
law consisted of fourteen persons, with the
right vested in some of them to select q
fifteenth. These fourteen persons stood,
seven Republicans and seven Democrats.
Viewed IA partisans the number might as
we'll have been five on each side OF three or
one. Being evenly divided, they completely
nullihed each other and amounted to Just
nothing The fifteenth man would neces-
sarily be the umpire and hold the absolute
power of decieion in his hauds. We say
MISUNDERSTANDING the fourteen as all
partisans. Th" umpire being once selected,
the fourteen might as we'll retire from the
Board at once as members. They could re
main only as counsellors, their power being
virtually annnlled.
Now, it is equally clear that this omni
potence over the issue has been given to a
Republican, an appointoe of Grant, and
one possibly not entirely above the foibles
of ordinary humanity. The power placed
in his hands is enormous and totally nm
precedented, lifting him to a position the
temptations Of which are as mighty "a its
opportunities. Has lie no ambition to
crafty, 10 Friendship to consult, no
avarice TO be appealed to, no subservlency
to chief who made him Judge, 30 strong
party devotion to intoxicstc him, TO hu-
man passion nor Notwithstanding but
cod reason and blind justiceR
What mighty power to vest in . poll
tical enemy ; what a childlike confidence to
T'Pose in the int gritty oil any one man in this
age of decentralization The Democrats
had elected their candidates by an astoDnd.
ing popular majority they had secured
for them handsome majority of the elec
toral votes ; not a man of either party seri
ously doubted this reeult and the moral
sentiment of the whole country aud of NIL
ChrlstendOm would have sustained those
candidates in taking their seats in contemnt
of Returning Board frauds and petti0or-
ging chicanery. The Democrats held the
vantage ground; they had but to 90 steadily
forward, and the pretense of opposition
would have melted away before them. Sud
denly they hasten to refer their claim ia
arbitration and, stranger still to say, they
leave that arbitration to political -oppo.
nent.
This was what may properly be termed
mania. To see that, we have only to sup.
poso that this opponent should provo to be a
partisan. And who could cay that he would