Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-25
THE REpuBL1cAr SITUATION.

- Ao3 1OtOs
THE REPUBLICANS SITUATION.
The Ereosof Putting II, the Wlttte Honse
1Man Not Elected.
Editorial Correspondence of the Albany Even
ing Journal-Rep.
WAsuNeros, March 2 There were two
reasons why the silver bill swept tumult-
ueusly over the powerless veto ike an Alpine
avalanche over the unfortunate wayfarer.
The first was that apart from tho heavy ma
jority, many Of the minority, as explained in
previous letter, were either tinctured with
the silver feeling or believed that it was bet
ter to yield to this MEASURE rather than take
the risk of worse one. Such feeling nee
essarily did much to paralyze effective OPP
position. The second was the lamentable
relation which exists between the Executive
and Congress- relatien which leaves
the President practically without any
influence at the capitol. Wherever
the fault, every right-minded man
must deplote this disastrous state of affairs.
The President ought to be power in such
an emergency. His declaration ought to be
a bngle blast calling nus party together. In
stead of that, we see his veto IN the s6ravest
crisis since the war, net merely futile, but
hardly treated with common respect. His
closest friends, like Stanley Matthews, were
the most ea8sr to trampla ON ,hia protest,,
while, on the other hand, be the blame where
it may, it is unhappily too true that Q chasm
has opened between him and the men who
are true to tho nation honor.
The Republicans of the country wanted to
stand by their President. They went through
fire to elect and seat him. They believed in
his upright character and good purposes.
Even when, as time went on, they saw what
they could not understand, they still trusted
and hoped. They would to-day hail and
welcome evidences of positive, earnest, saga
cions, and practical Republicanism
IN their administration. Their mon
in Congress, who rest on public sentiment,
have no wish apart from the public feeling,
and would sustain and support wherever the
the people would uphold. No party wants
differences and Reorganization. No wise
representatives desire the decentralization
which comes from laxity or perversity OF
weakness at the head. A President with
good counsel aAd positive force might have
used this natural party feeling to hold his
organization and cheek the tide which has
now swept over the land. he might have
defeated this dangerous movement at the
very outset. Such an effort meant no dis.
honorable action. 1t involved no chickering's
or bargains. It required nothing but the
practical Craftsmanship without which gov
eminent is little more than chaos nothing
but the natural organization which
IS vital to every vigorous party and
every successful administration. Mr.
Lincoln called men about him who repre-
scented political forces. When Mr.. Seward
Mr.. Chase and Mr.. Cameron counseled
they spoke for party and carried party
with them. If Gen. Grant had less of this
political force in his cabinet, he found where
It did exist, and summoned it to duty
There is such thing as the practical science
Of government, there is such q thing as the
honorable art Of applied politics. It lies al
the foundation of free institutions. It il
simply indispensable in every government Of
parties.
With all his amiable goodness, the Presi
dent is not potent influence. he is not q
ruler. He does not command men. Il
there are those vino think he should simply
sit in the White House, TRANQUILITY meet each
question only as it comes to him, and per.
form his individual duty in perfunctory way
cannot agree with them. He ought to be
the recognized, undoubted head of the party
he ought to impress himself upon ite
politics; he sought to be the central force il
its organization. If he had intelligently
grasped this obligation he would have united
the Republican leaders and called the party
back to it's highest pledges and principles
T,1c4na1 Of %ho+ hat H., *
stop to weigh the exact measure of blame
The consequences are what now concern US
The causes are past in part-the effects are
here. A veto oyerridden without the pool
respect of days delay, divided counsels
lapse of the party from its true and higt
these are some of the evils. The Presi
dent was right in withdrawing the troops
but in doing it he might have spoken tn,
word which would still have vitalized thu
Republcanism Of the South and braced ur
the Republicanism Of the North. He wal
right in saying that the public eryic,
should be elevated-but in proposing
such a work ho might have acted will
the Republican representatives, and neet
not have shown SO many self contradictions
Instead of course of wise counsel and co
operation, it has been course of isolation
What is the result. It is true that in execu
| tive session the other day, one of the oldes
Republican Senators from New England
turning to the Democratic side, said: "Takt
him; he is yours you are welcome to him.
And a Democratic Senator answered back
! "No; we want no political founding left OF
our doorstep To every earnest Republi
can the situation which flashes out in til.
vivid light Of that colloquy is deplorable
But nothing is gained by shutting our eye
| to it. The chapter of the veto told tn.
| story. There were no knights ready t.
! draw the blade. The men whom the Presi
dent ought to have with him had been es
tranged; the other side-the Gordons, tn
Hills and the rest--are glad to be served, bu
unwilling to support.
| Through all this turmoil the Presiden
calm, serene, and sef-complacent. He ap
| pears all unconscious of the situation. Per
chance there is fear of the bold, unscru
pulous men of the South who have seeme
! to palsy the administration, and who are sal
now to threaten more information; but
| the President would throw off this dread in
cubus and speak out the true, living RepuL
lcanism which we all SO ache to hear, no,
the Republican party would be glad to re
spond! Mr.. Evarts is the leading spirit 9
the cabinet, and we can all venerato him q
the elder Weller venerated Mr.. Solomon Pe&
as "a limb O the law as has got brains Liz
the frogs, dispersed all over his body, an
reachin' to the very tips of his fingers.
A great and brainy lawyer indeed-bu
would that he had the political sens
in an equal degree! There are e.
perienced, sagacious men abou