St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-07-04
The Democratic Retreat.

Because the Democrats in Congress
have taken two-thirds of the one hun
bred days that body has been in session
to retreat from the revolutionary posi-
ton they assumed when it met, no in
telligent person will fail to clearly ap-
prehend that only one more concession
is required to make their gradual fall
| ing back an unconditional surrender.
AS is well known, before Congress met
it was given out that not dollar would
be voted to keep the machinery of the
Government in motion unless the pow
er of the President over the army and
the Federal Election laws was repeal
ed. The men who last March made
these threats have since gradually
changed their ground until every branch
of the public service has been supplied
with money for its running expenses,
and every class of public servants pro-
vided for except Deputy Sheriff Mar
shals to enforce the provisions of the
Federal Election laws. At first the two
leading appropriation bills contained
''riders" depriving the President of
much of his constitutional authority as
COmmander-in-Chief and repeating all
of the essential parts of the Federal
Election laws. The army bill has now
been passed with only meaningless
"Iider" prohibiting the use of troops as
''police force" The Legislative and
Executive bill has been passed without
condition. The Judicial bill makes pro-
vision for the payment of the expenses
of the Federal courts.
The only bill that contains an objec-
tionable feature is that special act
which makes provisions for the pay
ment of the Deputy Marshals, but con-
tains prOviso prohibiting the use of
any part of the appropriation to pay for
the enforcement of the Federal Election
laws. Thus has the revolutionary threat
to staIve the Government by refusing
to vote nearly $60,000,00 of appropri-
tions shriveled in less than a hundred
days into proposition to nullify the
Election laws by refusing to appropri-
ate 100000 without condition. Even
the provision attached to the Judicial
bill prohibiting the President from
making any expenditure which shall
result in deficiency has been dropped.
1t is not our purpose to exult over
this practical back-down. from the po-
sition it assumed upon the adjournment
of the last Congress. Neither is it our
purpose to accord to the Democratic
leaders the least credit for what they
will hold up as concession on their part.
They met superior force. The Re-
publicans in Congress and the Presi-
dent combined constituted a major part
of the legislative branch of the Govern
ment. They could not repeal the Fed
eIal Election laws and they found, when
it was too late, that the country would
not tolerate a party which should de-
liberately paralyze all the functions of
the Government by refusing to vote the
money to continue them in force as re-
quired by the Constitution. They were
wise enough to see that to carry out
their revolutionary threats would be
simply to invoke the wrath of the peo-
pie and their own destruction. 1t is this
that has led the Demo-
cratic Congress to make concession af-
ter concession until a bold revolutiOna-
ry project has dwindled into negative
and ineffective notification of a law
they cannot repeal.
In this retrogressive moment the
Democrats have unwittingly cleared
away all the rubbish and left the real
issue between them and the Republic
cans distinct and prominent. They deny
the authority of the Federal Govern
ment to supervise Federal elections and
they will resist every attempt of the
Administration to enforce Federal laws
recognizing such authority. This is the
great issue which the Democratic Con-
gress has raised and made prominent.
1t involves practically the reasertion of
all the heresies of the early advocates of
state rights. 1t is the declaration of the
Democratic leaders to revive and to
maintain these heresies to all their le-
gitimate results.
But the Democratic retreat, while it
quiets the public mind, is not the result
of any change of sentiment. They have
only been forced to change their plan
OF battle. They hold to the same dan
gerous heresies. They will battle for
them whenever they have opportunity
and will change our institutions and
laws to conform with that theory when
they have the power to do so.-Boston
Journal.