Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-14
WISE "BLUNDERING.p

The Chicago Times alludes to "the organ
lied blunder called the Democratic party,
as represented in Congress-" The GLOBE
believes the Democratic party, both in Con-
gress and conventions, has committed many
blunders, and has spoken of them freely, at
the same time giving credit for wise and ju-
dicious cond1ct on many questions of public
polity. In this last respect the GLOBE has
differed from its contemporary, which seems
to proceed on the theory that no good thing
can come out of the Democratic party, and
condemns its conduct indiscriminately on all
questions, from the voting of an appropria-
ton for pages salary to the most momen-
tous affairs of state. 1t gives Democrats
credit for neither honesty nor sagacity, indi-
vidually or officially, and seems never more
completely at home than when pouring out
torrents of abuse upon some member of the
party or the party as a whole. This course
it calls independent journalism" Heaven
save the mark!
The latest occasion the Times has had to
denominate the Democrats in Congress a
parcel of fools and knaves is the refusal of
the members of the party in the House to
accommodate the Republicans by entering
upon political debate on the army appro-
priation bill on Saturday last. 1t says;
But they blunder egregionsly in assuming
that silence is better for them than speech.
The rider itself shows Enthusiastically their ideas
and intentions have undergone no change since
the people condemned them last fall, and their
votes will put them on the record as complete
ly as any number of speeches would do 81
lence is suggestive only of deeper and darker
designs than have hitherto been made known.
The Times is correct in stating that the
clause of the bill prohibiting the use of
troops at the polls to intimidate aud coerce
voters ''shows Enthusiastically their ideas and
intentions have undergone no change" since
the extra session. That has been fully
acknowledged on all hands, and the editor
of the Times is not entitled to the honor of a
Christopher Columbus for having discovered
the fact No Democrats in Congress have
sought to conceal that they are in favor of
free elections at all times and under. all cir
cumstances, and they honor themselves in
the avowal.
But will the Times kindly iLform us
where the people condemned the Democrat
ic party last fall on account of its action at
ty sustained that we are aware eof was in
New York. But even the mendacity of the
Times would not attribute this to other than
purely local causes. The quarrel in the
Democratic ranks over personal grievances
was the only reason for the Republican sue
cess. True, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massa-
chusetts, and one or two other States were
carried by the Republicans, but the Dutch
have taken Holland also, and we see no oc-
casion for mourning over either fact.
The deep and dark designs that the Dem
ocratic party entertains are simply the guar
anteeing to>the people of the right to cast
their votes without fear of molestation, and
the abolition of that engine of despots, the
army, as political agent. We are willing
that the party should be accused of such de-
signs. 1t is one of its glories that it has at
tempted this; it is one of the shames of the
Republican party that it has prevented the
contamination of the plan thus far. 1t may
have been blunder on the part of the DEM
ocrats to prevent political debate which
would result in prolonging the session
month or more and cost the country tens of
thousands of dollars, but we do not view it
in that light. Both parties could but reit-
crate the opinions to which they have al
ready given utterance. As it was the Re-
publicans in the House were placed in
very ridiculous attitude by their frantic eff
forts to provoke quarrel, and this is the
head and front of the offending of the Dem
ocrats in the eyes of the editor of the Times.