New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-04
THE POLICY or" LYING Low.n

Senator Eaton of Connecticut, is said to he
very actively urging upon his fellow Dem6
Gratis in Congress the policy of " lying low
for the next Presidency. His plan is to pass
a resolution which he has prepared referring
the Tariff question TO a commission Of eminent
experts, pass the necessary resolutions with
their hands upon their mouths, and "scoot
for home before they are tempted to say any
thing and "give themselves away" Probably
no man knows his party better than Sen
at0r Eaton, and none knows better than he
how little they are to be trusted He sees
that they are at odds among themselves upon
all economic and financial questions and that
even upon the Tariff, which they come nearer
to agreeing upon than any other question, it
would be only safe To refer II TO commits
sion and push 1t over beyond the Presidential
election; while upon the questions which they
do agree and are ut one on-as, Tor instance
State Rights--the position of the party is only
an element of weakness. So long rs Congress
is in session they are in constant danger Oi
disclosing their differences or their weakness.
The only things upon which they harmonic
they can't talk about without strengthening
the opposition; and ii they talk about anything
else they 20 to pieces in discussions. Verify
they are between the devil and the deep
sea, and the advice of the Connecticut
Senator that they clap their hands over
their mouths and run il very wise. The
trouble is, 700 many of the mouths are loaded,
and their owners are determined to fire them
OIL even if il breaks up the meeting.
The Connecticut Senator is firm believer
in the doctrine of State Sovereignty and Fed
eIal subOrdination, but is more than willing
to forego discussion of that topic and finance
until the party have made sure of the
Presidency On the subject of Federal
interference he is disposed to be face
tious He says there is bad con-
dIuon of affairs III his own State there being
according to bis statement. four clergymen
under Indictment for mur,le: and lesser Offences
This, he thinks, is truly deplorable, and some
thing ought TO be done to reform the clergy
But he does not understand what Congress
has To do with 1t, though II has quite as much
to do with the morals OF Connecticut as New
England Senators have with the affairs of the
Southern States. The point Of this argument
is not wholly new. 1t was long the fashion
of Northern apologists for slavery to set of
pauperism and crime in Northern cities against
long as we had Il pauper or convict we had no
business to object to the extension of slavery
Mr. Eaton's readings of the Constitution EVIL
IDENTITY do not extend to the amendments. If
he will read along down a little further he
will discover some recent provisions of that
instrument which, taken in connection
With subsequent statutes, make it IN.
cumbent on the General Government to
provide free elections and enforce the rights
of voters, while he will find nothing to war
rant the missionary work he mentions.
Still he is quite right in his general PROPOSE
ton that the best thing his party can do Is TO
say and do as little as possible, pass the ap-
preparation bills and adjourn, Nothing could
be sounder or wiser than such advice. SEN
ator Eaton is not talking at random in this
matter He knows how it Is himself. He has
experienced the perlis of promiscuous dis
cussion, and knows how much safer it is TO
avoid than to indulge III it. Probably no
man in the whole Congress is so well
qualified 10 speak on this subject as the
Senator who on one occasion was reported by
an enthusiastic admirer as being about TO
"jump on Blaine"