Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-11
Aal.rastet f.ltei!.Genrer.
FRIDAY EVENING. MARCH II. 1881
Sacrificing q Party.

Sacrificing Party.
The. Republican leaders do not seem
to be taking very prudent care of their
party, the good of party men being ap-
parently considered before that OF the
PARTY itself. 1t is indisputably of the
greatest consequence to the organization
that it should control Congress but its
power to do so, which it barely won in
the election, seems to have already dis
appeared. The Democrats have organ
lied the Senate, although they were in
a minority, through the detection of Ma
hone and the accession of Arthur to the
chair and its deciding vote, until four
Republican senators were taken out of
the body, one by death and three by Gar
field. The party managers calculate
upon gaining control of the Senate when
the vacancies are filled, but, however
fair thier hope of this, they certainly
would have shown but decent conSid-
Grafton for the party interests by keep
ing the control when they had it, and not
submitting their party supremacy to the
contingencies of the future. For the
present they have failed to obtain the
power which was within their grasp :;
and we feel sure that if the party 50
abused was the Democratic party it
would not be good for the men who thus
preferred their selfish interests to the
party good.
The same rash management is seen in
the lower house, where the Republicans
had secured in the elections a majority
of just one over the opposition. They
had IA of the 29S votes. The member
from the Third New Hampshire district
they lost by death. Notwithstanding
the extreme danger to their ascendency
they have caused their number to he
still further lessened by the nomination
of Morton to France and the elevation
of Conger and Frye TO the Senate,
They expect all these vacancies to he
filled by their political adherents before
Congress assemblies in December: but il
is risk they were not justified in taking
In place of Morton from New York 4
Democrat will probably be returned. Ii
the Third New Hampshire district The
Republican member was elected by less
than a thousand majority, and a Repub
lican successor to him is by no means
sure. Nor will Frye, of Maine, neces
slrily be succeeded by a Republican
even though Governor Plaisted SHOULD
order IN election to be held. Congel
will be succeeded by I. Republican. Tht
party is not sure Of more than 144 vote:
for its organization Of the House in De
cember, and that assurance is subject t
the chance Of vacancies by death or i'll
ness or further appointments to IA
places; for as two men have already
been taken out for their betterment, thos,
who are left are entitled to claim III
equal freedom from personal sacrifice ful
the party good.
There are two Democrats from Viz
ginia who were elected Oh the Malone
''readjustcr'' ticket, Paul and Fulker
son, who may possibly follow Mahon'
into the Republican camp, in which h
has found his profit in pitching his tent
Bat we do not believe they will do so, a
they are men of a different stamp, Will
a higher sense Of honor, which will no
let them sell their birthright for I; mes
of pottage. The handful of GreenDacE
members in the House will hold the bal
ance Of power and ;,s one Of HE grca
questions ior consideration in the ncX
Congress will be that of the nationa
bank circulation, on which the Demo
cratic and Republican parties hav,
already taken their positions, i
seems inevitable that the Greenbacl
members will gravitate to the Democrat
ic side. In that company they fouu,
themselves in the fight on the S per cent
funding bill in the session which has
Just expired, and there they may bt
looked for in the next. So that the Re
publican party had nothing at all tc
spare to secure its ascendenc,
in the coming Congress, and that little
it has already rashly thrown away
A fair possibility exists that the
next House may be organized by tI.e
Democratic party, as the Senate has
been, and that Mr.. Garfield will ente,
upon his administration with Congress
in opposition. Surely to court this dan
ger was an act Of deliberate folly Oh
the part of The Republican leaders,
which will lie fifty punished by its penal
ties.