New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-24
CTESS- YORK IN POLITICS.


nrevailed among the Democracy that any de-
nart,,re by the President or other Republican
officials from the Democratic understanding
of the policy Of the ruling party must be an
act of bad faith, if net an outrage upon the
Constitution. No matter upon what fragile
and deceptive foundation that understanding
NAV have been built, the Democracy still III
sisted that upon 1t should rest the whole
structure of the Administration. They framed
q pohcy out of hopes and guesses, and when
the baseIcss fabric of this vision dissolved,
they cried out that they were deceived, ana
their adversares were liars and swindlcrs.
We saw an example of this application OF
guess-work to politics during the hbors
of the Electoral Commission. That body
was appointed to determine, among other
things. whether Congress or its delegates Dad
power to "go behind the returns;" both IN the
act creating the Commission and in the debates
preceding the passage of the act, this was cX-
phcitly stated to be an open question left to
the decision of the Commissioners themselves
But although the matter was perfectly we'll
understood at first Oh all hands, the Democrats
soon coddled themselves INTO the confident cx-
pectation that evidence was to be admitted, and
of settlement. Before the point had been ar
gucd, they chose to assume that 1t must he de-
cded in their favor; from that assumption
they rapidly advanced to the belief that 1t had
been decided already, and thence they dropped
into the delusOn that there had never
been any such point to decide. Hence
when the arbitratOrs decided that they had
no power to go behind the returns, and that
Congress under the Constitution could give
them no such power, because it had none 1t
self, the Democratic party, forgetting all acout
the debates in which their own Senators had
taken part, began to damn tie court for vlo-
lating an understanding which never existed
except in their dreams, and to complain that
they had been cheated, because they had made
a bad guess.
They are repeating this preposterOus per-
Torrance in connection with the Southern
policy of President Hayes. All around we
hear accusations that the President is vio-
lating the understanding" respecting an
immediate removal of the troops from New
Orleans; that he is not keeping his promises;
that he has been driven from his purpose by
the Radical faction in the Senate. Once more
the Democracy have been "deccived." But
UODOuN clH lcIl NEtlt lHtl Sol tiitii tooui-
ance that the Administration meant to sur
| render Immediately to Gov Nichols. The
understanding in this case is just as baseless
as in the other, fancy born of hopes and
gucsses, hardly worth the time and trouble of
serious discussion. In all the language
of the President both before and since
his inauguration, and III all the language
of his nearest friends, not one word can be
found upon which the Democracy had a right
to build the expectations they seem 10 have
cherished. They were unreasonable in them
selves, they were at discord with what we
know of Mr.. Hayes's prudent disposition, they
contradicted what little had been disclosed
respecting the Presidents wishes. But the
Democrats have chung to them with affection
alto tenacity, like parents who give a special
love to siclily offspring. 1t is pity they have
been disappointed, but how can President
Hayes help it To deal with the real diff
culties of the Southern situation is hard
enough we can hardly expect Mr.. Hayes to
consult the fctions of too fertile Democratic
Imagination.