The New York herald., 1878-12-16
senator Blaine and tho South.

before the adjournment on Friday, tnat
when Mr.. Blaine's resolution is taken up
there will be debate. Mr.. Blaine moved
that it be taken up for action then and
there. Mr.. Wadleigh claimed that the
bill for amending the Patent laws was
entitled to precedence, and when appealed
to by Mr. Blaine to consent to re-
yersal Of the regular order he SAID
that the Patent bill would not lead to
debate, while the Blaine resolution would,
and he refused to surrender the precedence,
although Mr. Blaine suggested that his
resolution ought to be passed before the
holiday adjournment TO be of any use. In
order to head off the motion Of the Senator
from Maine Mr.. Wadleigh moved an ad-
iournment, which was carried by thirty-five
yeas against twenty-six nays. This looks
like snub to Mr.. Blaine until we come TO
examine the list of votes, when we find
that the adjournment was carried by the
accidental presence of n democratic ma
jority. All the republican Senators pres
ent voted with Mr. Blaine, except MIR.
Wadleigh himself, who strayed from his
party by reason Of his interest in
q particular bill which he thought could be
carried with so little loss Of time that 1t
would not seriously interfere with Mr..
Blaine's resolution, to which he had no
hostility The vote on the adjournment
although transient defeat of Mr. Blaine
was real triumph, since it proved that
he is to have the full support Of his party
in the Senate.
The HrRALD has no such zeal Of advocacy
on either side as to blind it to the real
state Of the situation. Mr.. Blaine's resolu-
ton is certain to pass, and all the small
obstructive mannuvres which may be de-
vised against it will only give emphasis to
his triumph. There is too much reason
for believing that the democratic Senators
will play into his hands by protracting
vain and futile debate. which is precisely
what Senator Blaine desires. If the demo-
cratic Senators could but have the cod
sense and political prudence to let the reso-
luton pass without further debate the dis
tinguished Senator from Maine would lose
his coveted opportunity for reviving and
exasperating sectional animosities. But
the democratic Senators seem likely TO
walk into tho trap which has been set for
them. If the resolution were to pass
without further debate it would lose
it's power to intlame sectional passions
The investigation itself can amount to little,
since it will merely duplicate the testimony
to be taken in the prosecutions which have
been begun by the Attorney General. If
the stream is allowed to flow it can do no
damage, but if the democratic Senators at
tempt to dam it it will rise to height that
will break down the idle barriers and sweep
away the builders in the flood. The true
interest Of the democratic party requires
that its leaders shall make no at-
tempt to shield or screen oppression
practised upon the negroes, and as
soon as they exhibit steady deter
mInation to protect and uphold the equal
rights Of the colored race the whole South
will no longer be arraigned for few spo-
radio cases Of electioneering fraud and bru-
tality. Our earnest advice to the demo-
cratic Senators is that they allow Mr..
Blaine's resolution to pass without opposi-
ton, and that they treat the authors and
abettors Of the onion skin frauds as the
most dangerous enemies of their party.
It is SO evident that the sole aim Of Mr..
Blaine's movement is to produce an infam-
matory effect on Northern public feeling
that it will be sheer political idiocy
for the democrats to supply fuel by
debate. Nobody knows better than Mr..
Blaine that there is no possibility of in
creasing the rigor of existing laws against
the South either during this Congress or
the next. With o democratic majority in
the present House and a democratic
majority Of both Senate and House in the
next Congress Mr.. Blaine cannot expect
that his inquiry will lead to any useful
legislation. It is only intended for elec-
tioneering effect, and nothing could SO
powerfully aid his design as an attempt by
the democratic Senators to fight off in
vestigation or to palliate such outrages as
have really been perpetrated.
| Democrats, instead Of exhibiting annoy
ance at Mr.. Blaine's speech, should con-
gratulate themselves on SO remarkable
! confession that the Southern policy Of the
republican party has failed. 1t has disap-
pointed the expectations Of its authors, who
| supposed that by comforting the elective
franchise upon the freedmen they were in
suring the perpetual ascendancy Of the re-
publican party. Butinstead of forestalling
democratic control of the South, as they in
tended. they have simply added thirty
to the number of Southern Representatives
in Congress Mr.. Blaine's speech is
striking demonstration that negro suffrage
was a weapon with a double edge, the
sllarpest of it's two edges being turned
Mr.. Blaine confesses that its practical re-
suit has been to give the democratic party
thirty-five more votes in the House Of Rep
resentatives than it would otherwise have