New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-25
fRTI1.S COMPARED.

Republican Congress, the first for several years,
will soon adjourn. A fair idea of its probable
record can be formed already. 1t has been
criticised with vigor, and sometimes with
indignation; it is the habit Of Republicans
to say what they think. They support the party
not the less but the more zealously because of
that freedom. Blamed as it has been. often
with reason, the latest Republican Congress
will leave q creditable record of work done,
and will compare favorably with any OF Its
Democratic predecessors.
Politically, this Congress has made liberal
apportionment, and has turned out some Dem
ocrats who never were elected. In both re-
spects, it has the advantage OF any Democratic
Congress of this generation. 1t has not hap
pened yet, that q body of Democrats has been
willing to make an honest appOrtIonment OF po-
litical power. The infamous contrivance III South
Carolina which no decent Democrat can discuss
without getting red with shame, illustrates per-
formances that have been habitual with that
party. If this party has ever, in a single in
stance. made an honest distribution of political
power, its supporters ought to astonlsh the
world by mentioning the fact at Once. No one
pretends that the apportionment made by
has been strongly criticised by many Repub-
licans as exceptionally and unreasonably ia
vorable to the minority
The decision in contested election cases has
been conspicuousy liberal. In considerable
promotion of the cases, Republican contestants
have been thrown out by Republican votes.
Not single case has been decided adversely
to the Democrats in which there was not on
record the opinion of Democratic Journals or
leaders that the election had been carried by
indefensible means. The best of these journals
have repeatedly said, i'll reference to the
methods by which Southern elections were car
ried " This thing must stop; it can be excused
aonly where the control of local government
@by the white people and prOpeIty-OwDers
"could not have been otherwise secured" But
the Republican party maintains that the white
people and prOperty-Owners never have any ex-
cuse whatever for carrying an election by fraud.
IL maintains, too that the pretext of anxiety as
to local government, whether worth much or
little, does not apply in the slightest degree TO
the choice of law makers for the whole cOun-
try, and that the people of every other State
have an absolute right to be governed, not by
tissue ballots, or rife clubs or forged returns,
but by the free choice OF the majority in South
Carolina, or Mississippi or Florida, as In Mass
achusetts or New York. Having driven the
Democrats to vote and even to fili6uster for the
retention of Members of Congress who were
never elected by the people, the Republicans
are entirely ready to go to the country on the
issue thus made.
AS to the appropriations, the sharp dividing
line between the two parties is this the Re-
pub licans have made, and the Democrats never
had the honesty or the courage to make, the
appropriations required by existing laws. There
is no other vital distinction between PAL
ties as to public expenditures. Members of
both have voted for most wasteful Jobs BY
concurrent effort of the more honest members
of both parties great many such jobs have
been defeated in Democratic and Repub-
ican Congresses alike. But the Democratic
members have sought fraudulent and decep-
tive reputation for economy, by refusing to
vote the money required for the execution of
acts on the statute books They refused money
for the pay of Marshals on political pretext.
After voting for the Arrears Of Pensions act,
they refused to appropriate the money which
good faith under that act required. So in
many other cases, the Republicans found the
OOVernment III Il poelioh VI "0'ual reputation
of obligations created or recognized by lava
Reputation which sprAng, i'll most cases, from
the desire of Democratic members to cut down
the aggregate appropriations without voting
against the jobs and frauds by which large APP
propriations were made necessary. 1t has been
the duty of the Republicans to vote money.
not only for the legitimate expenses OF the
current year. but for the payment OF many mill
ions which the Government was bound to pay
under existing laws, but which Democratic
Congress had not been honest enough or manly
enough to vote.
Legislation in resDect to hank charters and