Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-04-19
The Republican Alliance with Southern
RepudiatOrs.

| >'Ss~'s1 SAAO eS0AVot xUCPuOx1CoA U0
per In the North, has long article frou
which we extract the following 49,
President called the Senate toxethe
IN extra session on the 4th day Of Marcl
FOR the purpose of submitting q larR,
number of nominations for confirma
tion. AT this writing. therefore, It ha
oeen sitting for more than month, bu
has done almost no business Whatever
The reason of this is that the Republi,
cans wish to expel from Office q miscel-
laneous crowd Of ushers and clerks, II
receipt ofsmall salaries, and put Repub
leans In their places. It is not pretend
ed that these offices are not 1T present
sufficiently well filled, or that the busi-
ness Of the Senate has not been and can
not be carried on through them. It IL
not pretended that the removal of the
present incumbents is in the smallest
degree necessary to the transaction OF
the particular business for which the
President has called the extra session.
Besides this, the leading Republicans,
In opposing the removal Of Republican
officers when they lost their majority in
the Senate in 1879, committed them
selves boldly to the doctrine that changes
in the minor offices of the Senate when
new party came into the majority
were Objectionable and unreasonable
They took this ground when the Demo-
Gratis had obtained the majority In the
ordinary course of election by the State
Legislatures of enough senators of their
party to make majority. Among the
persons who took it was Senator Conk.
ling, who declared THAT the usage and
propriety of the Senate" had decided
that thosNphices ought not to be put
up in political rattle and made rewards
for party services, but that those who
held them should be allowed to retain
them on their merits" "Able and CON-
scientious officers" said he, "proficient
In all their duties. were to be removed
at the behest of party managers, that
the offices might be subject to the vorac-
ity and hunger of those who were sup
posed to be entitled to reward" Other
Leading Republican senators supported
this view, and it is a view which does
credit ITO the usage and propriety Of the
Senate" If Senator Conkling's account
Off be correct. The Republicans, how.
on 1t one minute longer than they can
help, or to be very particular as to the
means by which they evade 1t. They
have secured majority by "a bareainh
with Gen. Malone. Of Virginia. who
has reached the Senate as "a Readius-
ter" or, in other words, as q supporter
of the reputation of considerable pro-
portion of the State debt on q pretext
which will not bear moments exami- |
nation in the forum of morals, and |
which the Republicans vigorously de-
nennoeu nairn' !. 'ne ia'e presloeoslal cam
It is an alliance based on ordinary
"dicker," by which Malone
gets the place of Sergeant-at.arms for |
one of his henchmen, and a noted re.
pudiator, a certain Riddleberger. III
Malone as renegade Democrat |
and repudiator might be tolerable, but |
purchased by "a bargain" can. |
not be decent addition to any party
There is nothing from which Repub-
licans ought at this juncture to shrink |
ggfi65hti at the $50 South Of an organization
whose first act consists In an attempt to
bring about breach of the public faith.
That such an organization can ever be
of much service to any interest the Re.
publican party processes to care for, Is
which all experience forbids
US to expect. We must not be deluded
on this point by Mahone's cant about q
free ballot and fair count.p When
we hear men clamoring for "free ball
lot and a fair count," we have to consid.
er little before joining forces with
them, what they propose to do with the
free ballot and fair count" Let them
be never 50 much entitled to both, we
should be careful lest, in our manner of
their rights, we seem to give
to aims which we know to
be bad"