New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-27
SENATOR EATON on DECK.

living.
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SENATOR EATON on DECK.
Senator Eaton of Connecticut, the only DEM
ocratic Senator, it will be remembered, VINO
voted against the bill raising the Electoral
Commission came proudly to the front in the
debate in the Senate on Saturday and unfured
70 his party associates his little " ! told you
"so.n THE TRIBUNE more than week ago
pointed out to him his opportunity and pre-
dicted that he would not miss it. lie Is the
"boy who stood on the burning deck whence
" all but him had fed and now that the
confIagratiOn is drawing to melancholy
close, the masts and standing rigging
gone, Mr.. Tilden clinging i'll silence to
the anchor as the emblem of hope, Cronin
gone ashore OH his ear, Cox padding round
in a Jolly boat Barnum driving overheard
the mules. David Dudlcy Field and other
able seamen trying to scuttle the vessel by
persistent boring, and the whole crew in con-
fusion expecting an explosion, he rises up III
the midst. Anticipating the question likely to
be propounded shortly, "The boy! oh where
"was hep he has not waited for some other
person to remark in the loose and indefinite
way of the average witness in Investigations,
ASK of the winds that far around with
fragments strcwcd the sea- but has risen
up in person with The Congressional Record
under his arm and calmly answered, 81 Here /"
He is standing by the Constitution"
"Thirty years of political life he says,
" thirty years of political thought have con-
WINGED me that it is always safest to stand
by the Constitution And there he stands,
lust as The TRIBUNE said he would, leaning
in an easy attitude against the Constitution
the safest place on deck-as if to be photo
graphed-lOncsOme but great.
The attitude is good, the position striking.
He may well claim attention. Nay, more: he
may properly claim from this time forth the
place of leader of his party in the Senate. He
alone of all his party associates maintained
Democratic doctrine; he alone refused to be
led into the Republican trap; he alone pre-
dictCd defeat as the certain and inevitable
result Of the scheme If any sense of pro-
prety and justice remains in the party after
the impending catastrophe, the Senator who
warned against il and opposed il from the be-
ginning will be called to the command. He
should be hereafter recognized on the floor of
the Senate as the leader of his party. He has
shown the qualities of leadership: foresight,
sagacity, courage. In his speech on Saturday
he took occasion to "thank God that He had
endowed him with strength necessary to
stand by bis constitutional convictons.o His
it IN the same light and to avail themselves
Of the opportunity to make such an endOW-
ment in the highest degree useful to the party.
They have very few such men at command.
The number to be found in the whole party is
not large in the Senate it seems there is
but one. Other Democratic Senator's, Mr..
Eaton said-among them Senator Gordon of
Georgia-he knew thought and felt as he did
upon the subject of the Electoral bill and its
mcOnstitutionality, but not one of them had
the courage and strength Of his convictions as
he had. And so he had to stand alone of his
party in opposition to it. Senator Eaton is
certainly the man to lead his party in the
Senate: and he is quite willing to take the
place and assume the responsibility. The party
lacks leader moreover, and Providence is
plainly pointing to the Connecticut Senator rs
the man for the place.
Senator Eaton has been the leader of his
party in Connecticut Il great many years.
Nearly all the time it has been in the minority,
to be surc, but that has not hindered his being
successful leader. He has succeeded in
keeping it in n minority, and that is something
in IL close State. Nor need that interfere with
his being installed as leader of his party in
larger field, when it bids fair to be pcrma-
ncntly in the minority hereafter. There is not
n better minority leader in the country than he.
There is only this trifiinG difficulty in the mat
ter: Mr.. Eaton is quite apt 10 carry his measures
with ii high hand. In this very speech of sat
urday he said if he had the power of the
House Of Representatives he would stop the
Electoral Tribunal where it is and say, Thus
4" far shalt thou go and no farther" So if the
Democracy do install him as leader we trust
they will not give him the power of the House
Of Representatives, for at this stage of tie
proceedings it would DE dangerous. The Con-
nccticut Senator has a way of saying Thus
" far and no farthcr,' Which dates back To the
beginning Of the war. He was on the point
OF saying il at the Connecticut State line 10
the Massachusetts soldiers who were on Their
march SOuth, but we believe they lodged him,
or got around him IN some way. He is the
sort Of man who bas positive views of things
and means TO enforce them. There were times
during the war when be came very near stop
ping everything and procldiming peace but
while he was talking about 1t something or
other Happened that had not been expected
and derangcd his plans. We have had our
fcars since he has been III the Senate that