The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-02-18

natural current. Then he will be likely TO get
the credit of being considered superlatiyely
honest man; aud what Is more, contrasts will
| be drawn between his conduct and that of his
associates in such a way as to exalt him and
disparage them to such an extent that the peo-
pie who do not care to take the trouble of doing
| their own thinking will make up their minds
| that he Is immeasuraby their superior In
purity and excel ence.
| Quite q lumber of meu have achieved con-
siderable reputation within the past six
years by affecting superior vlrsue. They have
taken great pains to declare their Independence
Of psrty ties, and have invited public attention
to their disinterestedness and probity. II Mr..
Chandler had praciiced this style of posturing
ne never would have made himself obnoxious
to the censures of the Democrats. Bot bsiug
| frank and plain-spoken, espousing aud sustain
| ing Repubcanism from innate love Of every
article In the creed, aud having a manly detes-
tation Of sham and pretensiou he has been an
animated target for all the shafts of the Demo.
crats, in whose sides he has been q perpetual
| thoro, and of the wesk-minded nondescrpts
| who profess to be Republicans, but are in
tensely suspicious of every body who attests his
fidelity by devotion to the organization to
| which his feslty is due.
The proceedings OF the Michigan caucus 10.
dicate that the masculine element Is coming to
the front, that the people are learning TO dis
criminate between the whine and cant and
snivel which have been 80 long palmed off up
on them as pure coins in the political currency,
and that robust and vigorous Judgment which
msnifests itself in sturdy efforts to promote the
| success of the principles whereon the welfare
| of the Republic depends. 1t Is o good sign that
the party is bringing its ablest leaders into the
| fsld; it augurs we'll for the Presidential cam.
| paign next year. Life Is altogether too real to
| make 1t desirable that all our statesmen sbould
| be always arrayed in full dress and kept upder
| glass 10 prevent their associstng with the rude
| world. Department has its good poin.s, but
| when 1t is made study Of, common-sense peo.
| pie get rather tired of It, And when the ad.
mirers OF it are guilty of the injustice and fol.
| ly of setting aside veteran in the service, who
bears scars because he never hesitated to put
himself in the forefront of the battle, and ex.
ats in his stead some person who was never
| heard Of until after events had decided the is-
sue of the conflict, they deserve rebuks for
their ingrstitude as we'll as for their stupidity.
These things are ooly done at intervals when
the popular intelligence seems to have fallen
under an eclipse. An epidemic of the sort
broke out few years ago and deprived the
Eepublicsns of some very good representatives
in both houses of Congress. 1t is an omen of
promise that some of them are being recalled
into the public service.
The passage of the bill restricting immigra-
tion fro m China affords striking proof Of the
strength of race-prejudice even among the edu-
Gated men of the country Undoubtedly these
people are offensive to all the American citi.
zens on the Pacific coast. They are not pre-
possessing creatures from any point Of view.
There pever will be companionship between
them and those among whom they are esssyiDg
the experiment Of coloniziug And yet to
throw any further obstacles in the way of their
coming hither than nature has inter posed does
seem like sacrificing important material inter-
ests to crafty qusrulous dislike We want
their labor, and the cheaper they can work tho
sooner and more sbundsntly they will enrich
our land. There Is, of course, q broader ard
higher reason than the economic one why no
attempt should be msds to build walls Of ex-
clusion around the Western Republic. We are
fully and irrevocaoly committed to the princi-
pie that all sections of the United States are
open for the free admission Of all who choose
to come. But considering the matter merely
as proposition to discourage the incoming of
multitudes whose capacity for earning cannot
fail to add largely to the sources of national
prosperity it Is difficult to understand bow 90
many votes could have been secured for 10.
Tnere are some gentlemen of extreme protsc-
tionist opinions who deprecate the idea Of
getting work done chesply They probably
consider scarcity blessing and plenty q
misfortune. 1t must vex their souls to see such
quantities of machinery y'coping into use, super
seding the toll of 80 mauy hands. But to the
average mind it would seem to bs q clearly
established and uudisputed postulate that IL
ought to be the supreme ambition Of physical
manhood to get the greatest conceivable pro-
duction out of the least possible muscular ex.
ertlon. AT any rate the structure of the Chris.
tlan religion has as its base the doctrine that
labor is curse, inflicted upon mankind as q
punishment for transgression and subject to
such a'leviations as human ingenuity assisted
by divine grace might devise to mitigate the
severity of the Condemnation. 1t Certainly
is little astonishing that the bill should have
got through the Senate. We shall hear, no
doubt, in many quarters and in every variety Of
the Senators who are popularity credited With
Presidential aspirations cast their votes
with the minority. Perhaps they were
not thinking In the least about their chances of
the succession, but on the other hand il is bare.
ly possible that their action was unconsciously
Influenced BY the thought of its effect upon
their prospects.
The President has no reason to find fault
with Congress for Withholding from him oppor.
tuniIies to distinguish himself by the exercise
OF the veto power. This is the second time an
opening has been offered for him to display the
breadth Of his ststesm anship There ought to
be no doubt of his embracing the occasion
with slacrity. We shall be Knocked By all the
world for having shamed our professions Of
lbsrality and hospitality by trying to gsta
measure enacted the essential feature of which
is the prescription Of foreigners; but were the
thing to prove successful In virtue Of Executive
signature the taunts would be sufficiently
caustc and polluted to make the life of a sensi-
tive American decidedly uncomfortable.
Gov Fish delivered an inaugural address on
the occasion of his taking the chair at the first
meeting which has been held by the Union
League Club since he was chosen President Of
1t last month. He defiued the duties Of citi.
zenship with c.earness aud force aud pointed
out how this organization might be made an
effective auxiliary in promoting objects
OF patriotism aud public benefit. If the
Club adopts his recommendations its sphere of
usefulness will be greatly enlarged. he won
the confidence and good will of the members
present st the outset, and there is no longer
shadow of doubt but that he will prove one Of
the most popular presiding officers that has ever
occupied the position. The Club has resolved,
With comparative unanimity to expend its sur
plus fand in the erection of building on Fifth
Avenue, corner of 39sh street, the very summit
of Murray Hill. A plot of ground has been
leased for twenty one years at an annual rental
of S Il, 500, being five per cent interest on O
valuation Of $3.50 900. The price Is high, but
the location justides the payment of it, The
lease is subject VI three additional renewals of
ibo 4; b;nr oil .fo1 l..