The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-10-20

~ tho pfosoni, md That W. may mould ior
tie future.
nne rnnsfong0S0Frnf Senate
oar Washington dispatches Of yesterday
morning doubtless gave much surprise to
many ofour readers as well ~, perhaps,
something akin to disgust Mt the informa-
ton that Mr.. Bayard had been ousted
from his position as president pro tenn Of
of the senate. The adyiccs coming to
hand not until after one o'clock
In the morning, made 1t impossible
for us to comment or explain what doubt
less seemed to many an arbitrary proceed
ing II will be remembered that prior to
the admission of the New York and Rhode
Island new senators, the senate stood 81
democrats and "a republicans, emitting
Malone, of Virginia, and Davis, of Illinois.
1t was this democratic majority that placed
Mr.. Bayard in the chair, Malone voting
with the republicans, Davis not voting at oil.
The senate then being organized, the afore-
| said three senators, Lapham, Miller and
Aldrich, were admitted. The senate
thereupon stood 81 democrats and 81
Republicans, Fair and Platt being paired.
| Upon the question as to how Mr.. Davis
would vote, nothing definite could be ascer-
tanned. The republicans thereupon deter
mined their preference for Mr.. Davis
rather than Mr.. Bayard, the
former having announced that as he
had not voted to put the latter in he would
not vote to put him out. Davis thus not
voting, and Malone siding against the
democrats, the field was clear for the re-
publcans to certainly seat Mr.. Davis,
which they did do, and which was, as mat
tiers stood, the only safe thing they could
undertake to do Now the question obtrudes
itself, by what right did this last election
take place after the speakership had appa-
rently been settled definitely and perma-
nently? If we remember correctly, upon
the death of Mr.. Wilson, who was in 1874
vice-president under Mr.. Grant, and at the
,, time successor was selected to replace the
| former, Mr.. Ferry being then chosen, it was
determined that thereafter the senate might
at any time choose president pro TEN.
And we are now impressed with the further
conviction that it was Mr.. Edmunds him
self that preferred, or at any rate success
fully championed, it to adoption. This then
evidently was the warrant for the subse-
quent selection of the bulky Independent
from the Sucker state, in the seat
of Mr.. Bayard. That the exist
ence and validity of this rule
were known or made familiar to the demo-
cratic senators is apparent from the fact
that they duly voted upon the question
day before yesterday and acquiesced with
out protest, save in Mr.. Jones' case, in the
result, Mr.. Bayard himself being one of the
gentlemen who escorted the successful gen
tleman to his post. We assume there was
an understanding between all the members
that matters should transpire just as they
TRANSFERRED. In this way the democratic
senators have saved themselves against
any adverse home criticism by standing
firm to the Delaware favorite until
they became powerless under that rule.
1t would have been wrong to have sought
to violate it, even if the republicans have
acted arbitrarily in the past, for two wrongs
!, do not make a right. In.view of the fact that
the death of President Garfield has so
softened the differences between the two
great political parties, and so nearly wiped
out sectional lines and made the people
| in feelings and sentiments one, as they are
| in fact. We believe this course Of protest
and respectful solicitation on the part of
southern democrats to the republicans
against Objectionable nominations for
| the southern states is the proper
one to pursue now. We know that all
other courses fail, then why not try this one?
Democratic senators and republican sena-
tors are all personal friends, and between
some of them the warmest personal rela-
tons exist Senator Edmunds, the leader
of the republican party i'll the
senate, is represented as being one
of the most genial, social, pleasant
gentlemen in the entire country,
some of his most boon companions being
democrats. This being true, can any one
doubt that if southern senator, on social
and friendly terms with Senator Edmunds,
was to go to him and tell him that party
nominated for federal office in his state
was obnoxious and Objectionable, and that
his confirmation would be hurtful, not
only to the republican party but
to the country, Senator Edmunds
would not oppose the confirmation and use
hls influence to defeat it? The fact is the
feeling of hostility between the two parties
is about dead. Each one is beginning to
respect the opinions of the other, and to
feel that each one is actuated by principle,
and that that principle is based upon
an earnest desire for the welfare and pros
perity of the whole country.