The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-04-16
A DESPERATE PARTY.

twashington Cor New YORK. tribunal
Every thoughtful observer Of the
course of events in Washington since
1875 must certainly have reached the
conclusion that the Democrats az ma.
tional party have lost the art Of govern
rnent. As long as they were in minor
ity in Congress, and were responsible
neither for Legislation nor for the execu-
ton Of the laws, the Democrats did not
cut such o sorry figure. Il requires
none Of the qualities Of political leader.
ship TO criticise and tear TO pieces the
work Of rival party. Asses and block.
heads may do that, and sometimes do il
successfully. Skill and Judgment are
required 10 handle q majority made up
of discordant elements, as political par
ties in Congress generally are, and II
these qualities are wanting, or il their
possessors surrender the leadership to
the shallow pated demagogtes who make
the most noise In almost every legis-
latiye assembly, the party in power IL
bound TO come to grief.
This is why the Democratic party in
Congress, ever since il gained posses
sion Of the House of Representative in
1875, has made such an unfortunate rec
ord for itself. Instead of "sitting down
upon" every fool in the party who
vainly imagines that he is q great states
man, and who thrusts himself forward
when he ought to keep his mouth closed,
the men who ought to know better en-
courage him In his folly, and, Of course,
reap the disastrous fruits of their suicidal
policy.
No better illustration of the fatality of
the Democratic party for making blum.
ders has been given than is furnished
by the proceedings Of the House of Rep
resentatives during the present week.
The fourth month OF the session is
drawing to q close. II was preceded
by nearly four months of extra session
last year, during which the House was
organized and all the special work that
has to be done at the beginning of new
Congress, and which necessarily delays
legislation, was performed. Yet in
nearly eight months almost nothing has
been done. Not q single one of the
great annual appropriation bills has
been passed; and the most of them are
understood not yet to have taken definite
form in the committees. Legislation
dragged badly enough when the Demo-
Gratis controlled only one branch of Con-
gress, and the middle of August, 1876,
found them still ut work ON the neces-
sary money bills but to-day, after
nearly eight months in session, with
both houses Democratic, the correspond
ing measures are in much more back
ward condition than in the last week in
March four years ago.
So serious had these unnecessary de-
lays become that at the beginning Of the
present week the Democratic majority
in the House seemed to have made up
its mind to pull itself together, tackle an
appropriation bill and pass it. An hour
or two was spent ON Monday afternoon
in general debate" ON the Consular and
Diplomatic bill, and it was given out
that nothing was to be allowed to inter-
fere with its continuous consideration
until final vote upon it had been
reached, and that was the last of it for
the present week.
Mr.. Townshend, of Illinois, belongs
to that class of statesmen whose nom
sense would not be tolerated by any par
liamentary leader who is fit to serve his
party in that capacity, and he undertook
to play smart trick on the House.
A considerable majority of the men,
hers are opposed to any radical changes
of the tariff laws at this session. On this
question at least the Ways and Means
Committee is organized to represent fairly
the dominent sentiment of the House.
A majority of the Democrats, however,
are free-traders, who, If they had their
own way, would not only repeal the tax
on whisky and tobacco, and 30 make
trade in those necessities of the Democ-
racy free, but they would reduce or abol
ish the import duty on every article
which we are prepared to manufacture
in this country. The decision of the
Ways and Means Committee not to bring
in any bills on these subjects this year
has caused great dissatisfaction among
the men of the South and West. They
were powerless, however. They are in q
minority, and minorities have to submit.
At this juncture, Mr.. Townshend con-
ceived the idea, or, what is more prob
able, some one else conceived it for him,
of setting trap for the House and get
ting tariff bill before it in spite OF the
wishes of a majority of the members and
in spite of the Ways and Means Com
mittee
The rules require that all bills "relat-
ing to the revenue and the bonded debt
of the United States shall be referred
to the Committee on Ways and Means.
If Mr.. Townshend had introduced tariff
bill, and had asked to have it referred to
any other committee, it would at once
have attracted attention. Objection
would have been made, and unless he
yielded at once the House, by a major
ity vote, would have sent the bill where
it belonged. Mr.. Townshend, therefore,
disguised this measure. He wrote
title for it which would not attract at
tention, or if itdid would be unintelligible
to members. By this disreputable trick
he got the bill sent to the Committee on
the Revision of the Laws, which has no
jurisdiction over the subject whatever,
but which, having got such a bill into
its possession, would act upon it at once.
It is in vain that Mr.. Townshend's
political friends (and some Republicans,
l am sorry to say use soft words in de-
scribing this disgraceful performance.
1t was an attempt to deceive the House
and to make it do an act which it would
not have consciously performed. Much
of the business of Congress is based on
the personal honor of members. Meas
ures of great importance are referred to
committees for reports. They pass into
the hands of subcommittee, and finally
one man makes the investigation con-
corning them. The majority Of the COM
mittee has to accept his word as to the
facts as he has found them, and the
House acts in the light of the commit
tees report. A man who will deceive
the House by making false report, or
who by means of trick will attempt to
lead the House to do something which it
would not do with its eyes open, is unfit
to be u member of Congress-. He would
be Indignantly rebuked by every honest
man, no matter whether sympathizing
with the object to be attained or not.
To countenance or defend such acts
would be to make legislation impossible,
because it would destroy that confidence
in the honor Of members upon which all
have to rely.
The Democratic party in the House,
instead of censuring Mr.. Townshend as
he deserved, and assisting to undo what
he had by his trick led the body mad
vertently to do, adopted the fraud as its
own. It resorted to all the parliamentary
tactics employed by minorities to defeat
or hold majorities in check in order to
perpetuate it. The appropriation bills
were forgotten. Public business came
10 n 5aoJ holt Cor lava Tho Housa