New-York tribune., 1879-05-09
POLITICS AND DISTRACTION.


our Washington correspondent quoted yes
terday confirm the impressions we have re-
ceived from many other sources respecting the
tone of public opinion throughout the States.
There is no doubt that within few months
there has been Il remarkable political change.
The Republican party everywhere gains great
strength. Differences have been composed;
personal rivalrles have been laid aside the
voters are showing q determined, aggressive
and enthusiastic temper; and all indications
point to series OF brilliant Republican victo-
rieS in the Autumn elections. Meanwhile the
disorder ON the other side increases ana II
grows more and more clear that the Demo
Gratis are hOpelessly losing their hold upon the
doubtful and independent voters in the great
critical States, without whose cooperation sue
cess for them is impossible The causes OF
this shifting OF the party balance are not tar
to seek
Congressman make the common mistake OF
supposing that public opinion is made IN
Washington, and that the schemes which are
debated with most vehemence In the House
and Senate or elaborated with most care III
the caucus are topics of excitement all over
the Nation. This is so far from being true
that there is no important city in America
where it is so difficult to judge Of the feeling
of the general public as it is i'll Washington.
Congress makes a hazy atmosphere OF Its own
through which the outlines of affairs are dis
torted. Public men associate only with other
public men, a small and not very Influential
minority OF the active part of the population,
and they do not know what the multitudes
who make public men-the farmers, manu-
facturers, traders, fnanciers, professional
men-are thinking and talking about. When
they make short visits to their homes they
are often astonished to discover how they
have misunderstood the sentiment even OF
their own part of the country, how gen
eral is the popular indifference to issues which
Congress has been treating as if they were OF
prime consequence and how strong, on the
other hand, is the popular feeling upon sub
iects which they have neglected The Demo-
cratic Representative who found that his
party in Central New York did not care a six
pence about the bayOnet-issue upon which the
caucus had staled its hopes of salvation, and
the member who came back from Connect
cut with the unexpected news that the Demo-
Gratis in that State were "getting mad" with
CONGRESS, learned something about the incOn-
yenience Of staying too much in Washington
which NAV be useful to them. The Democratic
members will realize some day that they made
a wOful mistake when they wasted in an
extra session the vacation months which they
oucbt to have spent in discovering the minds
of their constituents.
There is a conviction, prevalent in both
parties that the country is cursed with too
much partisan politics. 1t needs nothing
more than rest. With the settlement OF all
great questions of politics and finance there
seemed to be brilliant prospect of an indus
trial revival The fuctuating and debased
culrency which had been so long an element
of danger and disturbance III commerce had
given place to real money. The debt had
been refunded. Taxes were lower while the
revenues increased. People had accOmmO-
dated themselves to habits of thrift, and had
learned how to be comfortable and happy
without the wild extravaganza which charac-
terized the era of initiation Repoge and
stability alone were needed for the long de-
ferred revival of industry; and as the first
requisite for Tepose the whole cOun-
trv was eager that Congress should
adjourn, and leave the people unmO-
Tested to attend TO their business af-
fairs. Nobody was afraid of the Army
There was not respectable voter, from the
ST. Lawrence to Key West, who imagined
that under any conceivable circumstances he
could be "terrorlzed by the spectacle of a
blue uniform, and made to vote a ballot which
he did not like. No such thing had ever Oc-
Cured there was not the ghost Of a suspicion
that such a thing ever could occur. Beyond
a general desire that riot and murder should
be prevented on election day rs well as at
other times, nobody entertained any feeling
at all upon the subject of troops at the polls
Yet suddenly, for no purpose except a
Dartisan mannuYTe, the Democratic caucus
raised clamor for the notification of
the election laws, and threatened TO stop
the whole machinery of government if the
President did not surrender the exercise of
his constitutional authority In order to let
them carry out their scheme. For this they
called an extra session. For this they medi-
tated n course Of action which would have in
voIved commerce in disaster and reduced the
Nation to nextricabie confusion. For this they
have kept the country worried, annoyed, and
bewildered for months. And TO crown their
nisdeed they have now added to the record
of distractions a series of fresh attacks upon
the currency, deliberate attempt TO undo the
great work which we have accomplished after
so many years of perseverance and Self-denial,
ID deliberate attempt to drag us back into
the perplexites of an irredcemable currency,
because there are some crazy factions at the
West which they want to cOnciliate, or be-
cause they fear that the credit of resumption
will make the Republicans too strong 1t is
no wonder that people are getting mad at
Congress"
If the Democrats would really help their
narty. we advise them TO hurry home and find