The Portland daily press., 1879-07-02
Exit CONGRESS-.

Party platforms are of little use to the
people. Talk is cheap. Glittering generali-
ties, and mouth filling rhetoric can be ut
tered as easily by the children of this world
as by the children of light. The true test Of
party is to be found not in its words but
in its actions. Party platforms never antici-
pate the future. Every future exigency will
be new one unthought of when the
last convention met, and foregone concll-
sion when the next one gets together. Sue
cessful conduct in the field, not fine mani
fe stoes attest the safe general. Perhaps
some Of the finest language in the world
can be found in Democratic platforms. Yet
somehow it always happens that that party
never attains power without abusing it.
This last session of Congress is the most in
structive example we have yet had, that no
amount of good promises afford guaranty OF
good action. For the first time since 1861
the Democrats had both the Senate and the
House They found the Republicans di-
vided and as near decentralization as party
could be which was conscious of high aims
and devoted to noble purposes. Their true
course was simple one. They had only to
show by calm and careful conduct that they
possessed moderation and everyday wisdom,
and their future complete success was only
question of the passing of time. March,
1881, would have found them in full control
of every branch of the government of the
| United States. After four months of power,
| t1,aIr ill oIi l,o;,, 4
home baflied, defeated and discredited. The
enemy which they found divided and dis
heartened, they have left united, vigorous
and full of courage and hope. 1t is certain
| ly worth while to consider the actions which
have made so wonderful change
Even before the last Congress adjourned,
while they were only in sight of the power
they now have, Senator Beck, with the ap-
proval of the whole party, announced their
| programme. There were-and thank Heaven
still are-on the statute book certain laws
for the preservation of purity of elections,
laws which pledged to every good citizen the
whole power of. the nation to enable him to
cast his honest ballot and to prevent that
honest ballot when cast from being over
whelmed by repeaters and ruffians. These
laws had been passed after due deliberation
by virtue of the constitution, and while they
remained were as sacred as the constitution
itself. Under the constitution there was
only one way to repeal these laws. The re-
peal must have the free consent of the
House, of the Senate and of the
President That tho froo Of ba
President could not be had, Senator Beck
and his cOmpeers knew as well then as
now. Had they been wise or patriotic or
even sensible they would have gone to the
masters of all politicians, to the people of
the nation, and if their arguments had
people had enacted, the wisdom of the peo-
pie would have repealed. But they could
not wait. They did not dare to trust argu-
ment. They preferred force. Hence Sena-
tor Beck announced that bills repeating
these laws should be presented to the Presi-
dent. Ii he against his convictions signed
them, well; if not they were to be tackled
to the appropriation bills, and the choice
given to the President to violate his convic-
tions and his oath, or to veto the bills.
They knew they could not convince, they
thought they could terrify. When the new
Congress met, they found their courage
oozing little. To present separate bills
and then if they were vetoed to tack them
upon the appropriation bills, looked little
too bald and open. Hence they put their
Cahon,ac lo
and passed them with loud threats and
hurrahs. They were promptly vetoed in
messages containing calm, courteous and
convincing statements of the reasons
why the President could not approve.
Here was another halting place. Had
the Democratic party in Congress been
possessed of such wisdom as this coun-
try must have in order to manage
its affairs at all, it would have immediately
provided for the needs of the country, made
up the ISSUES and appealed to the people
But as if to show conclusively to the world
that they had no practical, working sense
they kept on. AS the appropriation bills to
which they first tackled their demands con-
tanned their own pay and they would have
found themselves without their own month
ly allowances, had they persisted as they be-
gun, they divided the Legislative, Executive
ana Judicial Bill and passed their own pay
without any riders and tackled their legisla-
ton to the appropriations for the courts. In
other words when these statesmen began,
they said to the President: If you don't sign
this Bill, we won't have any pay, you shall
not have any pay and the Courts shall not.
When they found that the President thought
he could get along without pay if they could,
they determined to pay themselves and after
they had done that it would not have looked
well to leave out the President. Hence, their
next proffer to the Executive was: If you do
not sign this bill We will be paid and you
will be paid but the Court shall not be paid.
When that bill was vetoed then indeed the
last ditch was reached, and straddling the
stagnant water the Democracy of the United
States become historical, shouting to an ad-
miring posterity, eff We cannot bully Pres
dent we can at least make the Marshals
work on tick.' Surely this is very ridicu-
lous outcome for four months session.
And yet absurd as the situation is, there is
food for serious reflection on the part of all
sound conservative citizens. Leave out all
mention of the design of the South, shut
your eyes at all the signs of the returning
reign Of the Doughface, forget that there is
single Confederate brigadier in either
House, persuade yourself that it will do no
harm to repeal ''eveIy vestige'' of every law
that Lincoln proposed or Sumner advocated,
and there yet remains the spectacle of q
Party so unwise and ignorant that it does
not know a blind alley when it is in it and
thinks that butting stone wall is a good
thing for the head. In short, in four brief
months the Democratic party has demon
strated to the country its inability to manage
public affairs with either moderation, skill,
calmness or decency.
VICTOR HUGO believes the destiny of man
is in the Snrtb YNhon bo Jact;,,, of