Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-04-26

The proceedings which took placeat n caucus
of the Democratic members of the House of
Representatives, which was held one evening
last week, indicate that that party is not in an
altogether harmonious condition With ma
jority of twenty or more in the House, its
members cannot agree upon tariff measure
to take the place of the present Republican
enactment, passed years since, and which, it
is freely admitted could be wisely modified
This fact is the more worthy of note because
for the past fifteen years there has scarcely
been Democratic platform fabricated in
which the present tariff system was not char
acterized as a system of robbery legalized and
enforced in the interests of monopolists.
Democratic newspapers have exhausted their
stock of explosives to set forth the cnormities
of the tariff system, and Democratic stump
orators have told the people, with philan-
thropic pathos, how much they are compelled
pay the monopolists on each yard of cotton,
spool of silk, etc. Aud now, when the ablest
Democrats in the House, assisted by outside
Democratic advice, have framed n measure
intended to embody the Democratic idea of
tariff reform, thirty Democrats refuse point
blank to support it, telling their associates
that the Republican tariff, Objectionable as it
is, is preferred by them to the Democratic in
vention, and that their devotion to the form
er will lead them to disregard party lines.
And not only were the Democrats out of tune
on the tariff bill, but also on the currency.
Mr. Willis of New York was in favor of the
Wood tariff bill, but nevertheless remarked
| in effect, that rs much rs he admired Mr..
| Woods bill he loved the Democracy more
and for that reason and because the party has
a bad way of laundering, he is anxious to
have the Democratic wisdom scattered at as
early day as possible lest the hot weather
and the Ewings may inilict mortal injury up
on the organization. This was n challenge to
Mr.. Ewing of Ohio; of Anti-resumption fame.
That gentleman appears to be laboring under
the strange hallucination that the country
does not want Congress to adjourn at the
earliest day possible or until it has repealed
the resumption act and provided for the de-
probation of our paper money, and thus or
| ganized financial disaster. To accomplish
this work Mr.. Ewing is willing to swelter
through dog-days in Washington. He made
/ DOlu 10 Tell MT. Wills llhL lne democracy Oh
| Fifth Avenue is n sort of galvanized article
| pinchbeck, in fact. Mr. Willis retorted that
| if it was not legitimate for Democrats to adj
vocate honest money, then the Democracy of
jefferson and jackson was of the pinchbeck
brand. The fact that three-fourths of the
| Democrats in the House follow Mr.. Ewing
rather than Mr.. Willis, leads one to conclude
that the worthy gentlemen referred to would
be numbered with the small minority of the
Democratic party were they in Congress at
the present time.
The result is that the Democrats were un-
able to agree upon any line of policy which
would be supported by all the members of
that stripe. The country, therefore, has the
spectacle of party hopelessy divided on the
two great questions which more nearly concern
the material prosperity of the country than all
other issues. And, moreover, it is so divided
that large majority is on the side which
causes the country the greatest alarm.
We wish it were possible for the Republi-
cans, both in Congress and out to learn wis
dom from the lack of unity among the Dem
ocracy, to the end that the party might at
least become unit on the right side of the
financial question, which is by all means the
most important issue now before the country.