The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-04-09
THE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES FoR 1850


! issues Of $780, The election Of Mr.. Randall to
| b. Speaker insurcs II continuance Of the policy
| OF retrench ment in Congress. and this. with the
| issues OF personal liberty and freedom Of cleo
| tons. involved in the repeal of tho most in
famous features Of the Republican election
| laws, will make a case upon which they can
not fail to carry the country. II their candi-
dates bo chosen with prudence. l do not pro-
| pose to discuss the claims Of the old ticket,
which was elected in 1875. MIR. Tden might
| be- dead or disabled before 1880. and Mr.. Hem
| bricks might find himself split straight up to the
chaps by the sharp edge of the fence rail upon
| which he has been sitting these many years.
| To whom then. would the colors pass. or to
| whom. rather. ought they to pass2 | am not
| now looking over tho list OF Democratic states-
men, 10 select the greatest and best. The man
to be sought ls the man who is Mt once III for the
| office and available rs candidate. At tho last
| election II was the rare good fortune Of the De-
mocracy TO b. able to place at the mead OF their
ticket the man. who was. all things considered.
absolutely the flttest TO undertake the work OF
reforming tho Federal Government, and cleans
ing 1t OF the foul abuses OF Grantsm. because
Mr.. Tilden was at thssamo time the man who
could most certainly be elected. But the events
| Of 1876 laid many tall heads low. and many rep
utations shrank in the severe ordeal OF tho
great fraud. Tho Democratic politician who was
false then. or unequal 10 the great occasion. and
thereby took upon himself any share OF re-
sponsbillty for the unparalleled political crime
OF placing an intruder in tho Presidential
chair. will never be accepted as proper can
ddato for that chair himself.
In this category l place Mr.. Bayard and Mr..
Thurman. To them tho country looked with
supreme confidence in the hour " peril They
stood at the head OF the Democratic column Of
defence whom the shadow OF tho great frauds
was projected. and to their words aud wisdom
.ho people trusted implicitly for deliverance.
Their united authority within the Democratic
party was great enough TO have guided its coun-
sells to almost any conclusion. and being con-
stitutionalists OF the straightost scot 1t was ex
| pccted that II they could not avert the impend-
| ing fraud. they would at least resist 1t to the
| last. No one certainly dreamed that they would
draw that dreadful calamity down upon us with
their own hands. Yet when the House mem
beers OF the Joint Committee to devise method
| OF counting the electoral votes met with thoir
brethren OF tho Senate. they found that they
wore not expected to deliberate but to subscribe
to dll already perfected In tho secrecy
| OF the Senate committee room Mr.. Bayard
and Mr.. Thurman had accepted the fatal scheme
concocted by Edmunds and his accomplices.
| and their colleagues from the House were also
| forced to accept IL. That was the moment when
tage ground and surrendered its Just constitu-
tional control Of the count Then 1t was that the
Constitution was abandoned. the will Of the peo-
| pie dsregarded. aud the thrusting OF defeated
candidate into the Office OF President was made
| possible. The House Committee desired to
| amend the bill so rs to insure the admission OF
| evidence IN prove tho fraudulent character OF
the certificates from Louisiana and Florida But
even this WIS frowned down by Messrs. Thur
man and Bayard. They had accepted the
measure M a whole. and they would not al
low their followers to tamper with 1t. Their in
huence. exerted with tremendous energy dur
ing those few critical hours. passed the bill and
they both took seats In the unconstitutional tri-
bunal which gave Mr.. Tildens seat to Hayes.
| They took the responsibility, and on thoir heads
| IL rests.
But there arc other reasons why neither Mr..
| Thurman nor Mr.. Bayard would prove an avail
able candidate. They are intense rivals. and the
sectional iealousiss OF East and West would Op-
crate very strongly against either. Mr.. Thur
| man has trimmed his sails ON the financial ques-
| tons Ms TO catch the soft mOney cupful from
| Ohio. and To lose the hard money trade wind
that might have driven him safely In Mr. Bay
ard has been consistent on the money question.
hut he has not always co0peratod heartily with
mis- party in the House in It's efforts toward
economy and reform. put them both ont Of
tho list of availables Then Il Tilden. with Hen
dri'ks, Thurman. and Bayard. Is out OF the field.
| who remainY There are no other candidate
with any considerable following.
Tho next National Convention will undoubt-
eddy be disturbed and tho election endangered
| by the same sectional rivalry which has divided
the Democracy since 1868 New York and New
England will in all probability present solid
front against Ohio and the group OF Pendlc-
I
every four years since Gov Seymour was nom
| mated 10 compromise similar situation. Ohio
| and Indiana with their respective candidates
will present local friction enough. as they al
ways do; but as against Eastern ideas and East
ern men OF tho Tilden kind they will stand to-
gether. The road to success therefore, might
| be found to lie over some middle ground.
| The hig State OF Pennsylvania ia geograph-
icalh Iway between the contending sections.
| She bciCngs to neither. and her Democratic
| politics are sort OF compound-and not very
creditabe one. eithcr-of the ideas Of the two
| factions Take the 800 deputy marshals out OF
| Philadelphia give her n candidate OF her own
| put tho canvass into the hands Of men who have
no connection with the Pennsylvania Railroad
| and no motive TO sell out. and Pennsylvania Is
Democratic State. She has one citizen who
| while acknowledging Democrat towers up
M practical reformer much as Mr.. Tilden did
| In New York four years ago. Mr.. Randall has
beer three times elected Speaker and the last
canvass was as severe a test OF tho popular
strength OF the policy he represents as could
possibly be. He was not personally popular
among tho representatives. His iron will
and dominating temper. his Arm adherence
to fixed principles. and his stern refusal
even to deviate in the slightest for the
accommodation OF any man or faction. were
not calculated to make him friends among his
associates In Congress. All men respect him
bad men fear him; but few or none are really
fond OF him. Ofthe seventy-hve men who voted
| for him in caucus. there were not ten who
would not have felt greater pleasure in honor
| ing some ono else. They voted for him because
In him there was present safety and a sure
! promise OF the future. The people were for
him. and tho independent press was for him.
lie was Hereby antagonizcd 10y all the CORPORA
tons and all tho corrupt Influences from his
own state these opposing powers only served
to strengthen him. rs they have on previous oc-
customs. His election to be Speaker was "A party
necessity. from which there was no escape but
in certain disaster.