New-York tribune., 1879-03-29


some original views on this subject, greatly
to his own satisfaction and somewhat to
the astonishment of his colleagues His idea
seemed to be that the Republicans in the
Senate have neither responsibilities nor
privileges, now that the Democrats are IN
majority in that body. He did not exactly
thunder out rs did the Irish judge to de-
monstrative prisoner" All we want of you Is
"silence. andmonstrous little of that"-but the
| drift of what he bubbed over with was to
| that purpose. The good-natured and rather
patronizing way in which he bade his RepuDlicah
| friends be patient under the new dispensation
attested that he was quite sincere. Doubtless
he fully believes that the Republicans in Con-
gress have no business to be mcddling with
matters so long as there's Democratic ma
| iority in both branches, and that it is sheer
| mpertinence in them to interfere Delaware Is
not Sleepy Hollow perhaps, but what pic
turesque rip Van Winkle Mr. Salisbury
makesi
| Mr.. Beck, of Kentucky, who seems to have
developed an uncommon amount OF bounce
and vinegar, and great readiness to have
the public eye focused on him since his party
took the reins in the Senate, does not ap-
parently hold such extreme views on this
question as the Delaware Senator woke up
with. Mr. Beck, if we understand his posi-
ton, is willing to cOncede in some degree
the right of Republican Senators to discuss
public measures, but only under the limita-
tons prescribed by the Democratic caucus.
In his view the deliberations of the Senate
are subordinate to the proceedings of the eau
Gus and governed thereby. He does not con-
slider it respectful for the Senate to anticipate
the action of the caucus, or take up for
discussion a subject already under cOnsidera-
| ton, and referred to a committee by the
caucus. And for any Senator to broach such
theme in open Senate, in the absence of the
chairman of the caucus committee having the
matter in charge, he considers it imper-
tinent and indecent. Mr.. Beck, it will
be seen, locates the law-making power
| in the Democratic caucus as the SUI
periOr body, but he is much more liberal
| than the Delaware Senator in his concessions
| to the opposition he is willing that they
| should be heard upon public questions, subject
to the caucus directions and in presence of the
caucus committee. This is generosity of the
genuine Blue-Grass flavor. Ii is a whole
some rebuke to the partisanship in which
the suspicion had begun to be engendered
that the newly dominant party was
about to abolish the Senate and House, and
set up Joint caucus in their place. To the
credit of Mr.. Beck and his Democratic col
leagues it should be said that though they
have come into power under the prOvOcation
of " eighteen years of Radical misrue," which
they have determined to sweep away, they do
not propose to abuse their power by refusing
permission to Republican Senators to be heard.
They only insist that the times and the order
of proceedings should be under the direction
of the supreme pOwer-the Democratic eau
Gus. Their moderation deserves to be hailed
as boon.
These matters of detail being arranged,
however, they will fnd-ndeed have found
already-that there are other embarrassments
in their way. For party so hungry and eager
as the Democratic it is blessed thing to gain
control of the two houses of Congress- and the
pickings of patronage that go with it. But
they have only gained this by not having
had the opportunity to do anything them
selves to be criticised, and industriously criti
cising and cOndemning whatever has been
done by their opponents. They have ex-
hausted that line of argument For further
successes and additional grants of public favor
they have to depend on the excellence of what
they do themselves and not on the mistakes of
the opposition. There is vast difference, as
they have i'll some measure discovered al
ready, between hammering away at the work
of other people and setting up their own work
TO be hammered at. Heretofore they have
pulled down their mission now is to build
up, and that involves a larger and more diff
cult responsibility. 1t was Artemus Ward, we be-
lieve, who said 1T would have been five dollars
Gin jeff Davis's pocket if he'd never been born"
Ii would have been a great deal more than
that in the pocket of the Democratic party if
its present majority i'll Congress had not been
eighteen years of incessant fault-finding with
the party in power it is itself in
| power 1t may make q dash at all
the legislation 1t has complained Of
| and sweep it away, and it may do all the
wise and honorable things it has prOfessed
its ability and willingness to do. The country
has had enough of assertion, and now waits
! for proof of its superior capacity to rule the
country. And whether it does its work under
| King Caucus or King Constitution, whether
| it tlnkers and pettifogs or wipes out all the
| legislation Of eighteen years as with sponge,
| it has to be judged by its actual work and
| not by its promises. Some of the leaders APP
precate the gravity of the situation. They
have our sympathy, for they are between the
devil and the deep sea.