The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-09-12
Current Comment.

A new party has been born in Virginia,
but its wrestle with existence is likely to be
brief.
Uncle Dick refuses to remove the paddock
from his pocket-book, and the Ohio Democ-
racy is shrouded in gloom.
Senator Bayard of Delaware has been
down at Richmond and told the people there
that they must pay their state debt as a mat
ter of selfinterest, for the slightest suggestion
of possible reputation would operate seri-
ously to their disadvantage.
A Southern newspaper says that when
Forest dies the last great cavalryman will
have gone. If it were not that these are
days of reconciliation, we would say that
Sh-r-d-n and K-lp-t-r-k are still living; but
we will not revive those painful Memories
Detroit Post.
Ex-Gov. Castor is likely to be the man
picked out by the Massachusetts Democrats
to lead theirsforlorn hope this year. The
convention will meet at Worcester on Thurs
day, and unless Mr.. CASTOR decides to decline
before that time he will have little or no op-
position. Mr.. Charles Francis Adams has
been solemnly removed from the field.
The Nation comes near a just and compre-
hensive Characterization of the late Brigham
Young, when it says: "He was man of
strong will and cool intellect, ignorant
enough to be near the level of the ignorant
dupes whom he governed, and wise enough
to know how to make their ignorance con-
tribute to his own advantage" The Nation
believes that Mormonism will die a natural
death.
Among the constitutional tinkering pro-
jects which will be brought before Congress
when it meets, will be a proposition to abol-
ish the presidency, and substitute therefor an
executive council of state or cabinet, COM
posed of the seven secretaries, four to be
elected by the House and three by the Sem
ate, from the members of their respective
bodies, to serve for two years, and liable to
be removed at any time by the branch which
elects them, and all to have the rights of MEM
bership in both houses.
The "order" which General Badeau wore
at the receptions given General Grant in
London. and which so moved certain cores
pondents of the Democratic press, turns out
to have been his old army badge. This ex-
planation clears up everything and renders it
plain why the Democratic scribes did not un-
derstand what General Badeau was wearing.
Senator Booth at Sacramento: SIT seems
to me that upon the old questions, the vital
issues that separated US few years ago, the
Democratic party, like an army in retreat,
has surrendered every position it occupied;
surrendered each after hard fight, and now
it is admitting that all the distinctive princi-
Piles for which it contended were wrong. 1t
has accepted the results of the war; 1t has
accepted emancipation; it has accepted uni
versal suffrage; it has accepted the thirteenth,
fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the
constitution of the United States-all the
acts of reconstruction: it has accepted the
greenback; it has accepted Hayes's admins
tration. In the name of reason, what is
there left it to do but disband? Nothing in
its life would become it like, the leaving
of it."
The postal money order business for the
last fiscal year shows very large falling off
the decrease as compared with the previous
year having been over $4,0OO,OOO. The pre-
ceding year there was a decrease of about
100000 in the aggregate amount of
the orders called for, and the fact that there
was ten times that decrease last, year, and
that too when new money order offices are
being constantly established, shows that the
persons who send money through the moils
have had good deal less to send than usual
on account of the business depression and the
scarcity of employment.