The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-04-09

i'iIif'i Nl ~ ~ If'N I Z NJ Ms.
The Chinese Bill affords curious exam
Pile Of thc way in whicl, our parties have
ceased TO represent any fixed princirlcs.
on this. as ON all other questions, such as
finance, tar0, the monopolios, labor ques-
iious, or sumrtuary legislation, a man may
hold any views he chooses and may act with
perfect freedom, so long as he votes to keep
the office. in the power Of his own party.
Whether a man believes ia America for Cau-
caaiana, or would extend the right Of gov
erniug the Continent to the Asiatic as we'll
az to the African, whether lac iayors a pro.
tectiye tariG or free trade whether lac be.
lieyes in a government 10y and for banks and
bondhollers or 10y and for the people,
whether he advocates hi mctallism, mono.
metallism, or fiat money; whether he fayors
the prohibition OF liquor traffic or leaving it
unrestricted; whether he favors civil service
reform or the spoils system-no mere hetc-
roioNy Of principle will impair his standing
with his party. This Indifference to prnci-
pies goes to show the state Of degradation TO
which party politics have fallen. Partly it
is owing to the corruptng influence of the
offices and oflce-holders, partly to the fact
that the memories OF the Civil War have
been strong enough to keep up the domi-
nancy Of the Republican party, and partly
to the fact that there has been no single
over.mastering issue dividing the voters.
If there should I've check to the pros.
,T Ia, a,,I at Ia.
marked increase of Monaghan immigra-
tion, this Chinese veto might cause a
political revelation. The laboring men are
| powerful, and the Democracy when 1t SUR
rendered to Tilden and the boudhoders lost
the only opportunity it has had since the
rebellion to profit by discomfort among
the masses which was for the moment stronger
than party trammels, The workingmen
were asking for bread and the Democrats
gave them stone. When a million of men
Were idle, a Democratic House of Representa-.
tives, under The dictation Of Tilden and the
money lending aristocracy, raised the dema-
gogcal cry OF rerenohnent and reform and
under its cover proceeded to stop necessary
| public works-though such works could
at that time have been executed with I'M
usual cheapncss. The farcical character of
these professions were conclusively proved by
the failure of the same Congress 10 reduce
the war taxes which continued to be raised
from tariff duties and internal revenue i'm
posts. Thus the only effect of the policy
imPos ell on the party by Tilden was to pay
off the debt with uneXampled rapidity, while
labor went starving, money grew scarcer,
and all debtors We're ruined. In 1880 in.
dustry had revived, so that the laboring
class, instead of courting, now feared a
change; while the Solid South loomed up a
potent argument in the popular imagination
in favor of maintaining Solid North.
Whether the Chinese question offers the
Democracy the opportunity which it failed
to grasp in 1876, and for which it has been
waiting, Micaw like, remains to be SEEN
Whether its purblind leadership would permit
it to profit by any opportunity, no matter
how favorable, is even more doubtful