New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-31
TIE LEADhEsHIP or FOOLS.

TIE LEADhESHIP or FOOLS.
| Once more the Democratic donkey he's mani
Tested itself 1t is a marvellous characteristic Of
that party that, when, yer any leadership what
eyels shown in its motley host, it is always the
| worst and sllliest end of the party that takes
command. Week after week, it founders i'll
the mrc of lIreSolutOn and ncapacty, tor want
| of any leadership or clear purpose Occasion
| ally it has Il spasm of intense energy, and
| then its leadership is always stupid and ma
| liganant in the last degree. The Bicllncll
resolution has in 1t neither merit nor sense,
whether it be regarded from partisan or from
| ii patriotic point Of view. For the party, it Is
a blUnder Of almost mcOnccIvablc folly for
| the country 1t Is at once disgrace and
| menace. For ITS passage at this time no
reason can be given that the wit Of man can
conceive, unless it is meant 10 be the starting
pOlnt Of revolutionary and disOyal outbreak,
as shameless as it would be dangerous. And
yet tbs piece of suicidal folly, til, spitcful
kick of beaten rebelisnl, i absolutely the only
! measure Tor which the Democratic party has
cared OF been able to rally It's full vote for
years.
This single fact, that the Democrats have
made such extraordinary cXcrtiOns to pass Il
resolution apparently frivolous and impotcnt,
entirely justlrs the Republicans in resisting
It's passage to the utmost. No Republican
needs to be told that the Democratic party in
Congress is capable OF any tick abuse of
power for partisan ends. There are some
honorable members of that party who will not
he cOaXcd nor hullled into voting tor an inn
proper measure. merely because there are said
to he possibilities of partisan advantage in il.
Three or four Democrats have steadily OPP
pOsed the BlckDel lunacy, and it will prove
that they were Wiser, even as paltisans
merely, than the many who have favored the
resolution. But the large majority of Demo-
cratic members have shown too often their
readiness to adopt any measure, whether hon
Orable or not, whether safe. or wise, or
patriotic or not, if it promised them IA partI-
san advantage. In some way, still carefully
concealed, the Democrats hope to gain great
advantages by the passage of the utterly i'll
consistent, palpably ill-timcd, but apparently
harmless joint resolution, and the Republicans
would be exceedingly foolish If they did not
take it for granted that the extreme secrecy
of the motive covers a plan cOrrcspOndingly
base and dangerous. If there were any honest
motive for the extraordinary effort made in
this matter, it would be readily avOwcd. Even
if some known party advantage were the
avOwed object, but it involved no serious
danger to the country, the Republicans might
prefer to yield. They have no right to yield,
when all the circumstances 20 to show that
some scheme of far greater partisan cODse-
quence than the most important legislation,
aud get so offensive to the public sense that
its contrivers dare not disclose il, is hidden
under the pending resolution.
The conduct OF Speaker Randall is eXtraOr-
binary. No especial learning in parliamentary
law Is needed to Justify the strongest ccnsure
of his ruling last Wednesday. 1t is stated that
Mr.. Stephens, of Georgia, pronounced that
ruling "atrOcIOuS." But Mr. Randall is not a
man who resorts to an atIOcious ruling-a
shameless abuse Of his trust as Speakcr-unlcss !
there is some extraordinary motive. When
his term OF office ends, little more than a |
month hence, it will not please him if a strong
proportion of the members successfully resist the
passage of the usual resOlutl us OF courtesy III |
his behalf, ON the ground that Speaker who |
has been 80 outiageousy unfair and who has so
shameiully abused his trust, ought to have |
black max against his name Ill the history |
of the country. But the very fact that Mr.. |
Randall goes TO such a length, in trying to |
force through a measure said 10 be unimpor-
tant, proves that it Is not unimpoNant nor
harmless.
All of Thursday WAS spent in an attempt to !
vote out Republican member, whose right to
Il seat ought to he sufficiently attr>lcd by the
fact that 1t was conccdrdeyen by the Democratic
officials of North Carolina. and the attempt was
successfully renewed on Saturday. Since few
Democrats show uDrightness and independence
enough to vote with the Republic Is against
the Bcknell resolution The extremists III the
i, mOcratlc party seem to be wiling to man
ufacture a few more DemOcr ic members for
the emergency. Surely ii Is not strange that
the majority of the people have expressed at
the polls their unwIllIngness to trust party
which behaves as the majority in the House
ATE behaving. Fortunately Tor the country |