The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-09-22
The Reign of King Caucus.

The Reign of King Caucus.
Congress Is ruled by the caucus.
+ This is more or less true whatever
party controls. 1t has been pre-
eminehtlv true since the Democrat
ic party has swayed both branches.
The Democratic majority has not
pretended to act upon any impor-
ianf public question except in obedi-
cnce 10 the ,aandates Of the caucus.
Ii has cyaa refused to correct the
most glaring grammatical blunders
in public measures when pointed
out. because the caucus bad decided
thai the bids must be passed pre-
ciselv as framed. The majority
party rules congress, and caucus
rules the majority party.
How Is tnc Democratic caucus
constituted lu the present Senate
there are f5rty-two Democrats. OF
these twentv-n.ae come from South
em States. le. ing only thirteen
from the North Thus the South
has more !aan tw0-thirds In the
House thc-, are 14g Democrats, and
% OF them represent the South, with
80 for the North. Takjag the Dem
ocratic members out OF the two
I House togc.her-and they act to-
ge.her in ioint caueus-the South
has 12S out OF 19l. leaving % for
the North. and giving the South
more than 4 two-thirds majority.
That majority is absolute in the eau
Gus. Il aeeldcs It's policy and its
measures. It binds the action OF
the minority. Ii determines how
the vote Of the whole shall be cast,
Z lust as much as if it were itself the
whole lis viii is law, Democratic
Reprcsentatives from the North may
hesitate and deprcciate, but King
. Caucus rule with an iron hand, and
. his seeptrc IS welded by the South.
The wrong is more apparent when
the relative strength OF the two sec
tons Is considered. In the Senate
the North has 4 Senators and the
South %: in the House the North
( has 1S7 members and the South l06.
/ Thus the North largely out-numbers
the South. But in spite of this the
South rules. because the North is
divided between the two parties,
while the South, practically solid,
controls the Democratic caucus and
carries the Northern Democratic
Representatives with it.
Bv the ineXorablc command Of
the caucus the Northern Democrats
are in reality made to do the behest
of the South and not OF their own
section. A minority of Congress
dictates ijs policy and action be-
cause though "a minority OF the
whole it is majority Of the major
itv. Under this caucus principle
the mastery of the South in Congress
is absolute Just so long rs the body
is Democratic. The only way to e..
cape from ii Is to elect q Republican
Congress.
With the rule OF King Caucu:
and of the South thus established, i
|bchooyes the intelligent and patriot
ic people of the North to consider
very carefully the spirit and pur
poses OF this dominant element il
the Democratic Party. Wha
would it do with both q Democrat,
/ Congress and President Would i
then hesitate to press its Southerr
claims? Would il falter in reorgan
ling and securing possession of the
/ Supreme Court? Would it not b,
more "ayerse' 10 paving Union pen
sions than the rebel General as tht
Senate Committee is now said t.
/ be, unless they were coupled witt
pensions othc Confederate? Would
It not repeal every law to vitaliz'
the Constitutional amendments
Would it not demand and carry
pavment FOR all its losses during tn,
war? 1t has already presented
claims which exceed the amount o
the whole national debt Would ;
. Democratic President and Congres:
make it more modest?
With such conditions the Soutl
would have unbounded power, anC
the only limit upon its grasp woulC
be the measure of its disposition
Let the North consider well wha
that ten, ner is.-RpnJlican Stand
ard