The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-06-02
LEAVING THE SINKING SHIP.


The New York Herald has come
slowly to the belief that the Repub-
lican party is now on its last legs
Ii took the side of Conkling in this
administration fight, and now it
thinks that his star is waning, and so
IT begins to yeer away from all Re
publican influences and solemnly
concludes that il is time to prepare
for a funeral. 1t trys TO be light
hearted when it reflects that the old
superstition Nthat something quite
too awfully dreadful would happen
to the country if the Republican
party should cease to misgovern it,
has no longer nearly as much terror
as it used to have" The Herald
views the situation after this fash
ion: .-.
People begin TO ask themselves
everywhere what has this great Re-
publican party done, and what is il
doing for the country? They see it
just now engaged in desperate
fight over the public plumber, and
neglecting every public interest in
this disgraceful scramble. And as
they look on with contempt at this
exhibition. which has about as much
dignity as tirst-class dog fight, they
recall the fact that under Hayes il
did little else than carefully conceal
the stealing which it fostered,
and that with loud and in
terminable profession of virtue
IN the last dozen years it has
only produced scandal after scan
dial, until the whole history of the
party in this period is made up of
Belknap, Robertson, Pacific Mail,
star route, whisky fraud, carpet bag,
salary grab and multitude Of
other jobberies of the basest and
most vulgar. kind, mixed with the
most abject subsection to railroad
and other corporation influences.
And in all that time no one can re-
call, without an effort, a solitary pub
lie service the party has rendered,
lt might as well inscribe on its ban
ners millions for plumber, not
one cent for the public interests"
Tile Republican party has IN the
general opinion fulfilled its mission.
Why should it not go to pieces
Why should any one of its honest
voters mourn overits disappearance? |
1t may not be dead at this moment, |
but 1t is rotten. 1t IS the creature of |
railroad and other corporation and |
monopoly influences. Its most init |
mate relations are no longer with |
the people, but with the railroad |
and telegraph kings, the Jay Goulds,
lluntingtons, and others of the Kind, |
who own and control its managers |
and chiefs. To say that such party,
who deliberately chooses Dorsey as |
one of its manipulators and I'M
blushingly gives him public dim
ners, which has protected and
honored Robson, which openly
courts the friendship of public
plunderers; which, during four
years, sheltered Brady in his
star route jobberies, and took
part of his gains for its campaign
fund after the exposures made of
him in Congress to say that such
party, which scarcely conceals its re-
lations' with a dozen Hobbies, and /
many of whose public men live by
jobs, to say that this party, quarreling
now over the spoils, is absurd. 1t
has lost even the respect for public
opinion, which leads jobbers usually |
10 divide their spoils in private.
Some Republicans, we notice, Ia
ment the resignation of the New
York senators. We do not. 1t was
doubtless grave mistake III Mr..
(lnnlIInIr n RI @ ha 1i1 q |
was slap i'll the face to his friends
in the Senate. But if he meant by
this resignation to show his inten-
ton to abandon his relations with a
corrupt party, he was right, and
whatever partisans may say of him,
or however he may derange the
plans of mere spoilsmen, if this was
the meaning of his resignation, the
public will stand by him and open a
wider career for him. Mr.. Conklingl
has never been accused of political
corruption. He has the enmity of
the railroads and other corporate
rings. He is somewhat unmanage-
able politician-what the publicjusi-
ly complains of is that some, indeed
many others III the Republican
party, are but too plant, too ready
to serve private interests at the ex-
pense and to the loss of the people.
While the sages at Albany are
busy, therefore, and anxiously put
ting their heads together to plan a
compromise which shall i'm some
way save their chances tor contin-
ued spohation and misgovernment,
the public, looks on with disgust and
the belief and hope that no arrange
ment is possible. 1t begins to be
that all such compro-
misses will compromise only the pub
lie interests and that the gem
eral welfare can be served only
by continuance of the civil war
which has begun TO rage among the
army of spoilsmen. Let it go ON by
all means. This quarrel should be
welcomed by all honest men,
whether. they are Republicans,
Democrats or Independents. Let it
go on to the bitter end-the coun- i
try is ready for a change; it sees ;
change to be necessary. Two-thirds
of the Republican voters would joy
fully join new party organization,
for they see that their own has fall I
len into the control of incapable in ,
triguers and lobbyists and their ,
timid and self-seeking followers ,,
A LEARNED. Hebrew asserts that !
The doctrine of hell is not held nv