New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-22

doubt Of the possibility of his election with the
Tammany feud unhealed, unless General Grant
should be his competitor. Such happy DENY
erance from their anxiety about the result OF
the campaign as the ex-President's nomination
at Chicago they now regard as improbable
The Democrats of the House have wasted two
days in an attempt to gag the Republicans and
pass O deficiency bill saddled with political
rider after only five minutes debate. The
manly fight for free speech made by the Kepub-
lican minority caused them at last to abandon
their effort and to throw another appropriation
bill in front of the measure which they had
failed to crowd through under the previous
question. When it comes up again they VIII
probably back down, as they have done 80 often
before. The political campaign carried on by
the Democrats in Congress this session has
been marked by a series of feeble clustering ad-
yances to untenable ground followed by igno-
minious retreats. In this last case their leaders
determined to make a stand against being die
tated to by the Republicans. AS the Republl-
cans asked for nothing but reasonable time to
discuss an important measure they had the rlght
side of the contest as usual, and forced their an
tagonists to abandon the fight.
The order which General SchOfed has issued
to the schoOl-bOys commonly called cadets at
the West Point Academy, shows the same mis-
taken sense of the situation into which the
General was betrayed in his first eager efforts
to convict the unlucky negro Whitaker. The
General should not chafe so cOnspicuously
under the prevalent severe and sometimes too
harsh criticism ON the bearing of his students
which he himself has done as much as anybody
else to evoke. One ill-cOnsldered utterance is
not helped by another. Instead of houndering
about in this fashion, the authorities at West
Point would help their institution and them
selves if they would simply do their best to &C
cOmpllsh two things. First, solve the Whitta-
ker mystery. Secondly, break down the I'M
manly spirit which led a whole regiment of lads,
claiming to be gentlemen, to treat an associate
legally of the same status with themselves,
worse than they would have treated any boot
black employed about their quarters.
Who is to blame7' is the question that will be
asked by every one who reads the accounts of
the distressing calamity at Madison Avenue
Garden. 1t is not easy to answer ut once.
The building has long been used for fairs and
other public entertainments which attract large
crowds of people, and no signs OF weakness
were observed in its walls. The accident
which occurred at the international walking
match year ago affected only wooden gallery
put up for the occasion. Much larger thrOngs
than that which attended the Fair last evening
have been In the building recently. And yet
without the slightest warning the wall on the
MadisOn-ave. side tOttered as if shaken by an
earthquake and fell into the street, tearing
apart the floors and partitions attached to it,
and burying in the ruins men and women who
O moment before were enjoying the bright Fair
without q thought of danger. Of course the
wall was rotten or its foundations weak,
Everybody knows this now, but why could not
it's condition have been ascertained In time to
avert the disaster2 The work of disintegratiOn
must have been going on in bricks and mortar,
beams and jOists, and foundatiOn-stOnes for
years. The lesson of the calamity Is plain,
wherever the blame may rest. We need
more careful and more frequent inspection of
all buildings where large nGmbers Of people as
semble. 1t must not be taken for granted that
a structure will hold together forever because
1t has stood the strain put upon it for many
years. Extra care Is demanded in the case of
old buildings remodelled, like the Madison
Avenue Garden, which were not originally
designed to support the weight of large crowds.
The Garden was formerly a railway station, and
when changed to place Of amusement the
original walls were preserved without much
alteration. 1t may be that no one is directly
responsible for the accident but the lesson ought
not to be lost upon the community. Evidently
much better protection than we now have is
needed against the perils of fimsy architecture.