Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-03-26
a DEMAGOGICAL ISIS.

armament, the more conspicuously do they
display their inherent faculty of making
themselves ridiculous. Such seems to be the
infrmity of Mr.. Blaine, the great apostle of
radicalism in the United States Senate. In
the course of the debate in that body on
Monday, brought on by the election of a
secretary in place of Mr.. Gorham, he
charged that the appointment of the Potter
committee of inquiry was a revolutionary
movement. This Senator Hill denied most
emphatically, whereupon the following COL
loquy took place:
Senator Hill-You charge revolutionary prin-
c'ples on the Democratic party, and say it was
manifested In the appointment of the Potter
| committee. ask you do you hold that the ap-
pointment of committee to make an investi-
CATION is revolutionary movement?
Senator Blaine-The reason for the appoint
ment of the Potter committee construed by
! the Speaker of the House was revolutionary.
Senator Hill-Will you say that the appoint
ment of committee of investigation by the
House is revolutionary
Senator Blaine-The committee as construed
| by the Speaker was revolutionary.
| Senator Hills the appointment of a COM
mittee revolutionary?
| Senator Blaine-Don't be childish.
| Senator Hill-Was your resolution for the
| appointment of the Teller committee revolu-
| tionary?
Senator Blaine-No We wanted to find out
how persons had been deprived of their rights.
Here the Maine statesman (O was guilty
of drawing two distinct conclusions from
| two exactly parallel acts. A committee of
investigation appointed by the Democrats
was, in his opinion, revolutionary, but
committee appointed on his own motion for
similar purpose was perfectly proper. In
| other words, sauce for the goose is not sauce
for the gander. We are at loss to know
how a man pretending to Mr.. Blaine's dis
| tinction can be guilty of such absurd contra
dictions. He is either an unblushing dema.
gogue or most egregious ass, and we are
inclined to the belief that he combines
portion of both qualities.
To charge that the institution of a COM
mittee to inquire as to the facts of an cleo
| ton, and report whether or not any person
holding Office was legally and properly
| chosen is revolutionary. is the height of fol-
". It is denial of the right granted to
each house by the constitution to Judge of
the qualifications and election of it's own
members, as we'll as the broader right to
guarantee to each State a republican
| form of government. A State cannot be held
to have republican form of government
as long as the will of her people as express
ed at the ballot box is liable to be reversed or
overturned by returning boards or any other
agency. If Congress is to be debarred from
making inquiries touching alleged abuses of
electors, how is it going to act intelligently
on the subject? The truth of the matter is,
both the Potter and the Teller committees
were entirely constitutional, with not the
slightest faint of revolution attaching to
them; but if one possessed that taint the
other certainly did. The former resulted in
the exposure of a system of deliberate fraud
by which the people of the country we're
robbed of the privilege of being governed
by President of their own choice It fast
ened upon MIR. Hayes and his chief counsel
lors guilty knowledge of, if not an active
participation in, these frauds. It established
tho fact that after the bribery, perjury and
intimidations of these scoundrels had become
matters of public notoriety, Mr.. Hayes re-
warded each and every one of them by gifts
OF the best offices at his disposal, and has
continued to keep them in his confidence
an in the employ of the government not
wl5hstanding the m ost convincing proofs of
their guilt. It has loaded the name of the
| m IN who now couples the executive Office
wi n obloquy and his supporters with shame.
The inquiry was a proper one, and will
prove lasting benefit to the country for it
Will forever prevent the contamination of
such another scheme of villainy-of out
rage upon the rights of American citizens.
The Teller committee did not accomplish
what was expected of it by the mover. It
developed no more Irregularities in the cleo
tons at the South last fall than are known
to exist at every election in every part of
the country. It showed that some men did