Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-01-14
Political.
A REVIEW OF THE SITUATION
FROM AN INDEPENDENTsTAN
POINT,

WASHINGTON. January 8.-"Do
you know" said a member from
one of the Middle States, TO me,
yesterday. that there is more
coquettin< going on between the
Liberal wing of the Republican
partyand the Democratic organiz4-
ton, at this time. than was ever
known before. OF course il is all
quietly carried on, and neither
side fully understands the other,
but il goes on all the -ame. Most
of the overtures come from the
Republican side Of the house. al
though in some cases | have heard
Democrats invite such advances.
| tell you, this proposed visit OF
Grants. aud the recent drift of the
Administration, have set people
TO thinking. Taere isn't any
doubt left but that the Stalwart
C owd have taken charge of the
machine and are going 10 run it
for all it is worth for 1884. They
may do it in a polite way. There
may be no sudden displacements
or explosions, but the
BLAINR-GARFIELD
crowd will be quietly eliminated,
and the workers of the other wing
gradually substituted. Nobody
sees that clearer than Blaine, and
nobody is any quicker to accom-
modate himself 10 the existing sit
uati0n. He has the brains and
the courage to meet just such an
emergency. Nor will this task be
especially difficult. There vas a
time when parties had clear politi-
Cal issues on which they were
clearly divided. The distribution
of the public lands, the establish
ment of the s~ub-treasury, and sim.
liar questiOns,o nce divided Wings
and Democrats just as clearly and
widely as Presbyterians are divi-
ded from Universalists.a But now
the line occasionally gets very In
distinct. What is there now be-
fore the country Ia advocacy of
which either party has any mono.
poly. The taxation of National
Banks is more a question between
borrowers and lenders than be-
tween Democrats and Republi-
cans. although as the Republicans
have most of the money of the
country, most of the legislation
which makes ii higher in the
market has their general support.
The same situation in general pre-
walls with reference TO the silver
question, but you can't draw a
party line on either. When it
couies to the subject
OF THE TARIFF
most men are guided by their own
immediate interests, and a full
cnmmi'taI 20 one side or the other
would disrupt either organization
now. Men like Voorhees,, King
and Ellis, of Louisiana, with Sam
Randall and the Eastern and Mid
die md Northern State Democrats
Who want projection for special
interests. are confronted by their
Democratic free trade brethern in
the same conventions. Horace
White and Pig Iron Kelly and
the other dOctrindirej of the Re.
publican organizations are hope
lessIy at lo~ggerheads on this SUBJ
iect, and il takes the hardest kind
of compromising in every politi-
cal convention to keep down these
differences. / think the time has
about come when these questions
will cause q shaking up and a re-
capitalization Of political parties,
and that's why / think Blaine's
programme would not be a diff
cult One.'
"Wouldn't the memory of the
Greeley .f0scO be a damper on
such an enterprise?"
No. The country was rot ready
for sucn a change when Greeley
was brought to the front Sec
tional differences, war hatreds and
prejudiles were then still preva-
lent. Now that is all over. Peo-
pie don't care a snap about such
matters. The legislation they are
interested in is the legislation
WHICH AFFECTS TRADE,
commerce, manufactures, agTicul-
ture and the industrial future of
the country. Besides Blaine is
not Greeley by considerable, Gree
ley was a propaganda and a the
| orist, who cherished what many
people called vagaries, and had
little disposition to adapt himself
TO his Immediate surroundings.
Blaine's philosophy, like fuckers
has reference to the next six
months. What the Germans call
the eWigkeI-the eternity in poll
tics, does not bother him a par
] ticle. Besides being a born leader.
1fsa .Hf eTGN U erG