The Portland daily press., 1880-03-23

Il
er Sachems there would be no end of trouble.
From any point of view it is clear enough that
these local politicians have anything but
smooth road to travel There are always some
discussions happening. The clique who have
secured the ruling power in the management
of the Express will find themselves beset with
difficulties. 1t is better to make some sacri-
fees to secure harmony thar it is to gain pow
| er by rushing upon strife. The Taminany
1 men have two able organs-the Star and the
| Express-a morning and an evening journal,
but they are sustained in part by contributions
from the faithful and that is a circumstance
| not calculated to strengthen their Influence.
| However they serve the purpose Of setting
| forth the will of the leaders, and that gener-
| ally has all the binding force Of law among the
Democratic followers. They are constituent
! cy who do not argue, who do not assert the
right of private judgment, but who simply do
as they are told to. If they have any idea Of
resisting the authority of their captains they
carry it out by uniting in an open revolt. Just
fancy what power Mr.. Kelly must be when
he can carry with him four-tenths of the voters
OF his party in the city without having the
slightest chance of success or the smallest
crumb OF patronage to bestow. That is due in
great measure to discipline, but it is in some
degree attributable to faith in the man. Mr..
Kelly's ascendancy will fail of course IL he
continues to head forlorn hope, but he will
have no occasion to retain that embarrassing
attitude after the National Convention has
adjourned. He has extinguished Robinson,
he wants now to make a finish Of Tiden and
then he will be pattern Of regularity. He
considers his undertaking virtually accom-
plished already. He doesn't believe that
there is the slightest possibility OF TiIden's
nomination. And indeed there is no denying
that to nominate him would have all the ap-
pearance of REIMBURSEMENT in advance of
every hope of victory. If figure head is to
be set up to be knocked down it matters little
who is singled out as the victim. Nor is 1t by
any means certain that before the 22d of June
it will not have been made so manifest that no
Democrat has ghost of chance of election
that competition for place on the ticket will
entirely cease. If one or two outrages like the
unseating of Washburne and Bisbee-schemes
that are evidently meditated-sh should be &C
tually consummated the country would re-
spond to them very much as Portland, Bidde-
ford and Bangor expressed themselves in
reference to the recent performances of Garce-
Ion and his Council. The great masses of the
people are honest. They cannot endure fraud
They will never forego the opportunity of set
ting the seal of their condemnation upon it.
Their patience has been sorely tried already by
the present Congress, and one or two more
experiments upon the popular forbearance
would give the Republicans very much such
sweep as they had eight years ago. The atti-
tude of the majority in Congress has been for
some time defensive one. The leaders have
all they can do to enforce discipline. Between
their terror of provoking the indignation of
the North ON the one hand, or of alternating the
South OH the other, they are beset with en-
barrassments that keep them in state of con-
tinual anxiety and suspense. 1t will be a
great relief to them as well as to the whole
country when the Presidential election makes
final disposition of the matter. They can
not be any worse off than they are now, even
If they are overwhelmed with the defeat which
now seems to be one of the portents of the
future, and the public interests will be i'm
measurably benefited by SO propitious settle
ment OF the main question. Happily the
Census which is about to be taken will work
wholesome change in the political situation
and transfer the seat of power from the South
to the West. After that we shall be prac-
tically free from the domination of an AFRO
CANT minority, and hear no more, it is to be
hoped, of geographical lines and sectional
preiudices.
A new variety of the genus tramp has made
its appearance among us this week. An Eng
lish Chadband by the name of Railbow accom-
panied by corps of females styling themselves
Captains and Lieutenants Of Salvation Ar
my" have been importuning the Mayor to con-
sent to a violation of the Corporation ordi-
nances by permitting these peripatetic adven-
turers to perambulate our streets attracting
mobs to hear them shout pennyroyal hymns
and deliver themselves of snivelling orations
in the name of religion. The only possible ef-
feet OF such performances must be to encour-
age laziness and promote vagabondism Mr.
Cooper has very wisely declined to give any
countenance to SO demoralizing a show, and
the pretentious immigrants have pitched their
tents in the purlieus of Water street, where
they can contribute a new feature to the equiv
ocal amusements of that depraved locality OF
course they cannot make the denizens OF the
slums any worse off than they are now, but
the idea of doing them any good by such meth
ods is preposterous. The only plan to evan
gelize those wretched creatures is by putting
them in the way of doing useful work and
earning honest wages Salvation Of body is the
thing they stand in need of first of ALL Their
condition calls for the application of practical
remedies. Sentimental essays will have no eff
feet Neither the mama of the spirit, nor the
| fy>;a .h,x..
healthful sustenance and decent raiment for
which they are suffering. The vicious, If they
are ever to be reformed. must first be we'll fed
and clothed, and all the hours they waste in
listening to itinerant lecturers are 50 many
hindrances to their enfranchisement from the
bondage of idleness and penury.
There has been considerable accession of
liveliness in some branches of business this
week, and traffic of all descriptions continues
very animated. We are importing luxuries to
| an alarming extent, but the probabilities are
that that sort of extravaganza will receive
check before long through the superabundance
| OF the supply which will subject the importers
to loss and compel them to curtail their orders.
The fact is, only comparatively small num-
Der of the inhabitants of our country use su-
|
in cities will always buy them as long as they
have dollar to spare, and they have been
running wild for year past so that they have
got pretty well filled up. If the receipts of for
eign goods of the costlier grades continue as
large as they are now for six months longer,
| the ladies will have rare chances for bargains
next Fall. The great staples that constitute
the necessaries Of life with us are also in very
ample supply and relatively cheap. America
has been the best market in the world, since
the grand boon of resumption was secured.
consequently we have had the choicest and the
most of everything. The rise in iron seems to
have set all the people of all the nations on the
globe gathering up their old scraps to send
hither to be melted in our furnaces. We shall
get surplus by and by, no doubt, even of that
indispensable commodity and consequent re-
duction of price to reasonable figures
| YARMOUTH.