The Portland daily press., 1879-06-06
The Democratic Tomfoolery.

| Washington Dispatch to New York Herald.l
| There is, as everybody sees who does not
happen to be Democratic statesman, Just one
way for the Democrats to get out of the mire
into which they have walked, and that is to
pass the army and legislative appropriation
bills pure and simple and adjourn If they do
this at once and without any further tomfoolery
they might even claim before the country that
they had established an issue for the next elec-
tion But instead of this simple and straight
forward course they are preparing an elaborate
| plan to sneak out of their difficulty the main
dement's of which are, that in the first place
will not succeed, and in the next, if it did, it
| would only make them more contemplate than
| they already are.
HE'LL have to sign that" a Democratic
| statesman said with an air of triumph to your
| correspondent to-day, "and then nobody can
say we backed down, and we shall have carried
| the day after ALL"
"But suppose he vetoes it, what then?" your
| correspondent asked.
"Then," replied this remarkable statesman
| "then he will have no courts, no money for
| grand or petit jurors, or for the maintenance
| of federal prisoners, znd so on"
And this is the great plan of the Democratic
| wlseacres-to sprinkle salt on the Presidents
tall To say that it is childish is to speak iniu-
truth is the Democrats are at their wits ends.
| An influential western Democrat said to your
correspondent a few days ago.
"We must get Hayes to sign something, if it
is not much better than blank sheet of paper
We dare not go home until he signs something
for u.s." And that seems to be the opinion Of a
| good many of these demoralized statesmen,
| who forced the extra session as the grandest
piece of strategy of modern times.
| when will you do all this?' asked your cor
| respondent this afternoon, after listening to
the great plan for catching the president
You ought easily to do it all and adjourn by
Thursday or Friday"
"We must have the silver bill passed by the
Senate first" was the reply. I'VE want that
passed and vetoed, and then We'll 90 ahead
But the caucus will decide on the whole matter
when it meets"
1t is easy to see that the new Democratic
plan has been twisted by the filibusters into
scheme to keep Congress here during the whole
OF June, in the hope that at the last moment
the filibusters may yet secure their main object
which has been and is to refuse the apprOpria-
tions, compel the president to call another ex-
ira session, and thus keep the country in tur-
moil during the whole summer and fall They
begulle the timid, moderate men with such
silly plans, and waste days and weeks in ap-
peals TO them to do nothing rash, but for
heavens sake, to keep the party together.
But they never lose sight of their one object,
which is to sit until the Both of June, and then
adjourn without making the necessary appro-
priations.
The southern Democrats meantime for the
most part, talk very sensibly, Just as Senator
Butler did the other day, but they do nothing.
They are the willing tools of the northern ex-
tremists, and though they grumble and are dol
orous when they see that the South is held re-
sponsible for all the folly, they lack the cour-
age and determination to either make their
party do right or do right themselves. They
have drifted into crowd they do not believe
In until the country is justified in holding
that, however conservative the southern ideas
may be, they lack either statemanship or force
of character to make their influence felt for
good in their party, and that they do not de-
serve to be trusted with power. This is the
conclusion unavoidably drawn here by observ-
ers, who fully admit the good intentions of the
greater number of the southern men, but who see
that mere good intentions are not of the slight
est use, did not prevent the oxtra session, have
not prevented all the folly and stupidity which
that has brought to the front, do not avail now
to secure sensible action and adjournment,
and will not avail hereafter, If the Democrats
should be trusted with power, to restrain its
moderate courses. Hence the vote of the solid
South, though not mischieyous in itself, has
been shown in the last three or four months
to be powerful and obedient and almost abb
iect instrument of serious mischief in the
hands OF the worst, the most turbulent, reck-
less and ignorant part of the Democratic poll
ticians, and while it remains thus the sensible
conclusion of many candid observers here is
that the country does well to guard itself a.
gainst its predominance