New-York tribune., 1877-03-10
WASHINGTON.
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of Representatives it is perhaps difficult to de-
termne; but il is certain that the first false step
which entailed all the Others was taken by the can
ddate himself when he started on his still hunt"
for the one electoral vote he lacked. This perform
ance speedily lost him the sympathy OF the country.
He stepped down from his reform pedestal Instead
of the dignifcd statesman his party had believed
him to be, he exhibited himself as crafty and I'M
scrupuous politician, seeking to compass his ciec-
tion by buying eector in South Carolina corrupt
ing a returning board in Louisiana. stealing a
vote in Oregon. All the moral force that might
have been called up to sustain his claims to
the Presidency fell away. Had the Demo-
cratic majority in the House been possessed
of ordinary political sagacity, however. it might
have brought the party ont all right, whatever be-
came of the candidate. The Democratic organiza-
ton might even have been strengthened and put on
the road to certain victory The trouble was in the
sort of material that composed the bulk OF the party
in the House. 1t was made up of small politicians
who were brought to the surface by the ground
swell of 1S74-cODceited, narrOw-minded 1choWs,
who, In a healthful condition of politics, would
never have got much higher up than the Office OF
town constable. They were political donkeys, able
to kick and Bray but of no other Use. 1t is the
natural law of prblic assemblies that the spirit OF
the majority infects tho whole mass. The members
who came here with good judgment soon lost their
heads. There quick cOntagion OF lunacv.
One bundcr followed another. First, there was the
Endorsement of the dirty Oregon trick The party
ought to have washed its hands of that AFFAIR ut
once. Everything depended upon its keeping the
respect OK the country. But 1t accepted Crohin'
lionized Grover, and began to and gggle over
Il. n,ril inp
fraud the Republicans were stimulated to investi-
gate it. and thus the cipher kilograms came out
Another egregous blunder the attempt last
January to "bulldoze" the Republicans. The
threats of revolution, the meetings at Columbus and
indianapolis, tho threatened movement of the
100. 900 Democrats upon Washington, and all tho
buster and brag of those midwinter days disgusted
the country and made thousands of people who
voted for Tilden hope that some lawful way would
be found of counting Hayes in. Creating the Ecc-
toral Commission was undoubtedly a bad move, q
party point of view, for the Democracy but 1t be-
came necessary after so much threatening to let the
party out of the dilemma of fighting or surrender
ing The wise course, as all cOO-headed Demo-
Gratis now sce was to have allowed the count to pro-
cccd under the old system, putting the President o
the Senate in the attitude of exercising powers OIL
questionable constitutionaliy protesting earnestly
against counting inc NOleS Oi uiSpulcu
but making no attempt to delay the proceedings
Thus they could have taken their charges OF fraud
TO the people, and made capital in future contests
out of Hayess questioned title to his office. As it
was they created machine to manufacture good
title for him and TO stop their own mouths from
further assaults.
The crowning blunder the conspiracy to fill
buster. Almost majority of the Democrats in the
House and large majority of those III the Senate
dishonored their party and themselves by refusing
TO accept the decision of an arbitration which they
had created. The only polite course as 1t was the
only honorable one for them to pursue, was to sub
init with dignity 10 the Commissions rulings and
promptly complete the count. Thus they might
have preserved for the party last vcsige of char
acter and prevented the breaking out OF the bitter
quarrel which has split it into two angry factions
Again the difficulty lack of BREADTH balance,
and leadership. and predOminancc of the element Of
reckless reycngcfu ungovernable politicians OF the
pot-house and CROSSROADS type. The conspiracy
proved futile. 1t fretted and ragged itself out like
muddy torrent Perhaps it accomplished one good
result-to open still wider the eyes of thinking
people to the lack of craftsmanship and patriotism
of the Northern Democracy. E. IS.