The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1880-01-09
The Democratic Emergency.

responsibility above aud beyond all ordinary
considerations of partisan success. Political
parties ought to be judged by their efforts to
deserve success. If the Democratic leaders
by their prudence, moderation, and wisdom,
are able to meet the reasonable expectations
Of their countrymen, the election of their
candidate will be assured.
The duty of the Democratic party in this
is clear. 1t must make so plain
its patriotic purposes that"a wayfaring man,
though fool, may read as he runs" 1t
must first of all comprehend that it is not as
strong as it was iu 1876. The Credit Mo.
bilier exposure first compelled hone men,
no matter what their political faith had been
to stop and consider. What food for thought
this revelation presented The most stu
pendous swindle eyer practsed upon any
Government Fifty million of dollars stol
en- to enrich few shrewd, bad men, Who
had bought from Congress the legislation
that made the theft possible And when the
awful exposure came, every bright and shin
ing light among the Republican leaders was
found to be smirched. The Vice-President
and the Vice-President elect, the Speaker Of
the House of Representatives, the Chair
men of the Committee on Ways and Means.
Appropriatons,e and the Judiciary in the
Housd, two Senators of the United States,
and half dozen less prominent Representa-
tives. Then came the frauds of the District
of Columbia Ring and the efforts to prevent
their exposure, which eliminated in the safe
burglarly-a a monstrous conspiracy that was
concocted in the house of one of Grants ia.
miliars, and executed under the direction OF
officers of the Treasury Department. The
Whisky Ring came to grief, and its down.
fall brought the confidential private secre-
| tary of Grant to the bar of criminal Justice
and made patent to every intelligent man
that a great department of the Government
was honeycombed with rottenness, and that
millions of dollars had been annually stolen
The crowning infamy was laid bare when
the Secretary of War was impeached fol
selling posttraderships to the highest bidders
A Democratic House of Representatives
with almost two-thirds majority, was elected
in 1874, just two years after the Credit Mo
biler revelations startled the people into 8
convincing knowledge of the moral turpitudt
of Republican leaders. Besides bringing
Belknap to the bar of the Senate for high
crimes and misdemeanors in Office, scores o
other lesser rogues were brought to grief by
that Democratic House, and in addition to it
against the strenuous opposition of the Re
publican minority, by judicious legislation
saved the people in one fiscal year nearly
$50, 100000
From the first day of January, 1873, dowr
to the close of the Presid entail campaign o
1876, the Republican party was kept upor
the defensive by these su ccessive exposure
ard the wise economic policy of the Demo
cratic House of the Forty fourth Congress
The damning villainy of the carpet bai
Governments in Mississippi, Louisiana, ant
South Carolina were during this same periot
becoming every day more and more appar
ent to the Northern mind. The bitteres
Republican partisan could hardly muster tn
courage to defend the policy of force ant
fraud by which these vampires were kept il
power. 1t was renegade Democrat-a mai
without respect in his profession, and who's
social crimes we're without parallel in tn
worst days of Roman debauchery-who ha
the effrontery to attempt defence of Grant
order by which a legally elected Legislator
was elected at the point of the bayonet fror
its chambers.
The political situation of 1880 is not tina
of 1876 The last vestige of carpet bag rul
in the South was eliminated by the result c
1876. Sympathy for a people afflicted as tn
citizens of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Sout
Carolina were had great deal to do wit
Republican disatfection at the North froI
1874 to 1876
The alacrity with which Southern Demo
cratic leaders responded to the overtures {
Hayes Republicans to sacrifice Tilden for tn
State Government of Louisiana and Sout
Carolina-thus solidifying the Southland
a very untavorable impression on the North
ern Independent Republicans and disguste
many Northern Democrats. Having 60
which undoubtedly belonged to them, an
which would have been theirs without eve
the semblance of bargain-the people O
Louisiana and South Carolina have not me
the expectations of their Northern friends
The tissue ballot frauds of South Carolin
were inexcusable, but election frauds are no
peculiarly Southern product. Repudia
ton, however, just now appears to be alto
gether too popular at the South. Louisians
Tennessee, and Virginia have inflicted
greater injury upon themselves and the Dem
ocratic party than the war of the rebellion
did Far be it from me to hold the who'll
Southern people responsible for these loca
events These events. however, have ex
erted an influence in shaping the politics Q
to-day.
The national Democratic party would hav
been but slightly injured by these compare
lively trivial events had the Democrati
Representatives in Congress been true to tn
cause of reform. That large and rapidl
growing element in the politics of to-day
the men who care little, if at all, for part
ties-very naturally conclude that if tn
Democratic majority in Congress disregard
its reform professions Democratic Admin
istration would do likewise. Incidents il
themselves trivial assume an undue impor
tance if the public is inclined to regar,
them as party characteristics. Unfortunate
ly for the Democrats, their majority in tn
House of Representatives twice blundere
in selecting the third officer of that body
In both cases the persons elected Doorkeep
er were from the South. They were of cours
unknown to four-ffths of the Democrat
Representatives, but their character an,
ability were vouched for by the delegation
from their respective States, and the endorse
ment was accepted by the caucus Both me-
were incapables, and were dismissed sfte
they had been proved guilty of acts de-