Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-09

party fight over the Malone bargain, it is
perforce fastened upon another purely par
tisan quarrel, namely that over the New
York appointments. 1t would seem, in
| fact as though the Senate had forgotten
that it had any national duties to dis
charge, and that the whole business of
government had become mere squabble
over the spoils. This is not an encourag.
ing prospect, but it is the best the situa-
ton presents.
The cost of all this contention to the
country is of course great. The Senate is
making its fight on the money of the tax
payers. They are engaged in earning
capital to be squandered in such frivolous
yet fierce struggles. Can any man indicate
the faintest public benefit to be derived
from the present deadlock? Is there any
great principle involved in it? Are the
Republicans resisting some threatened
usurpation or assault upon the liberties
of the people, or are the Democrats main
tanning the blockade in vindication of any
high and benefcent doctrine? Nothing of
the kind. The Republicans have captured
Malone by patent bargain, and the
Democrats, who, no doubt, would have
been equally ready to capture any Repub-
hcan Senator had the opportunity been
presented, are doing their best to prevent
the contamination of that bargain. The
Republicans are determined to change the
officers of the Senate. Not because the
present officers have failed in their duty ];
not because they have a better Secretary to
install; but because, by reasoning per-
fectly inscrutable to the country, they
think themselves under obligations to give
that position to man whose connection
with the party has never brought it any
thing but defeat and discredit, and who
has signalized his gratitude for past favors
by first deserving and then trying to de-
stroy the organization which has done so
much for him in the past.
Republican Senators cannot expect that
the party generally will regard with either
approval or tolerance the work in which
they are now engaged. How Senators
who pride themselves on being g stalwarts "
can have assumed their present position, is
one of the mysteries of partisan politics
For they are VIGOROUSLY fighting the bat
ties, not OF Republicans, but OF renegades
and Democrats. It cannot be seriously
pretended that George c.. Gorham is en-
titled to be regarded as member of the
Republican party. Even though he has
served in the National Committee, the fact
that his personal efforts have been directed
against that organization in the most vir-
ulent way, remains unexplained and I'M
excused. He has tried to rule the party,
and falling in that, he has tried to ruin it.
And for this kind of service he is now to
be rewarded with honorable and lucrative
office at the hands of the representatives
OF those whom he has done his best to be-
tray. Senators are liable to find their
present course in regard to Mr.. Gorham a
very awkward and damaging precedent
hereafter. 1t is not by such action that
party loyalty is encouraged, or that faith
full service is to be obtained.
Nor is the position of the Senate in re-
gard to Malone and Riddleberger more
inspiring or more interesting. These men
are not only Democrats but advocates of
Reputation. Several labored attempts
have been made to disguise their actual
financial standing, but after all that has
been said the fact that they are repudia-
tors remains unaltered. When, therefore,
the country sees that public business is
blocked, that important interests of all
kinds are suffered to take any amount of
harm, in order to carry out the plans above
indicated, it is impossible that any good
results can follow. Such episodes tend to
disgust thinking men everywhere. They
raise the question whether both the pres
emit national parties have not fallen into
hopeless degeneracy. They create belief
that principles and convictions have ceased
to animate party leaders, and that nothing
remains but blind and reckless scramble
for Office. For it certainly cannot be al
legged that there is anything more in the
present deadlock, nor does the incidental
difficulty between Senator Conkling and
the President point another way. Here,
as elsewhere, the quarrel is altogether one
of spoils. Certain Senators desire to con-
troll the appointing power in their own sole
interest The Administration refuses, ap-
parently, to consent to such an arrange
ment, and hence arises this dispute.
When it is examined it is quite of a
piece with the rest. The subjects are of
character in which the country has no
real interest All it can gather from the
dead-l is that the government is be-
coming more and more question of spoils,
and that public interests are being sacri-
feed and ignored more and more recklessly.
1t is bad sign that Senators cannot see
the drift of their course for themselves, for
it proves that they are ceasing to be in
anything like intimate communication with
the people, and that they are consequently
tending to a line of policy which will ulti-
mately bring them in direct conflict with
public opinion. In short, the symptoms
generally are morbid and unhealthy, and
we think it fortunate for the Republican
party that there are no important elections
to take place in the near future
A SIGNIFICANT COMPLAINT.
The Chicago Times asserts that the Leg
islature of Illinois has for several years
been deteriorating in quality, and that at
last it has become distinct nuisance in