New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-02

future, who will bear witness that when there
was sorest need for patriotism, for statesman
ship for the highest philanthropy that party
simply came out stroIs as stumDiihg-D'och
in the path of this country.
And the challenge cannot be successfully met.
The party which was the great aid and comfort
of secession which stigmatlzed the war az
failure which opposed emancipation, which
resisted the draft, which sneered ut the Union
leagues as they we're formed never fathered
measure in Congress that hurt the feelings Oh q
rebel. Not one. But Democracy did array
itself against good many OF the war measures
which the Republicans in Congress introduced
and put through, measures which only had 10
fail TO cripple seriously the military arm OF
the Government, to dishearten the boys IN blue.
The trying years which Immediately FOL
lowed the war; when the country looked to
Congress to devise the measures necessary to
preserve the fruits of the war, found the Dem
ocratic party equally unfruitful in good works.
1t fought the reconstruction legislation pro
posed by the Republicans in Congress tooth
and nail, and in so doing furnished inspiration
and @mOra support to the Ku Kiux and
kindred organizations. Who, fOrsooth, dining
the era of reconstruction can point to single
measure emanating from Democratic Con-
gresham and commanding a united Demo
cratic support which was for the ameliora-
zion of any human woe or the advancement
L" of any public good? There may be such
measure upon the statute book but II there Is
the country has forgotten it. The party
which deliberately chose to see tie bloody
chasm kept open and widened rather than
recedc from selfish partisanshp long enough to
turn in and assist the Republicans IN shaping
the necessary reconstruction Legislation could
scarcely be expected to be moved by any phase
of human woe or any considerations invOlv
ing the public good" Nor does the Dem
ocratc party appear to any better advantage
in Congress when we pass to the days when
the great issue before the country was finance.
1t took to its embrace all sorts of lnanci al
lunatics. No theory OF the functions OF money
was wild enough to prevent it from receiving
plenty of Democratic support. With view
of catching the floating vote Democracy as
represented in Congress shamelessly suTen-
deIed its traditional hard-money doctrine. went
in for unlimited sOft-mOney-" fiat money
SwOre that the picture of thing was rs good
rs the thing itself, that promise to pay was
as good as payment. and capped the climax
of folly and inverted craftsmanship by vot-
ing to repeal the Resumption Act. SO able and
accomplished Democrat as Allen G.. Thurman
was in Congress when the financial issue was
at the fore. But even he chose to sin against
light and knowledge and enroll himself with
the foes OF a sOund currency. The records OF
political parties contain no more Shameless
surrender of convictions to sO-called party
"cxpcdency than he furnished. The pres
sure put upon Mr.. Thurman by his party was
tremendous Ii was so tremendous that he
Welded to it and fell never to regain his
aforetime place in the general esteem. If
Thurman had thrown his great influence
in favor of honest money and had made
stand upon some bill embodying his
ideas the result might have been different. As
it is. the history of Democracy IN Congress in
regard to finance questions is a history OF cow
ardice and disgrace
In more recent years Democracy in Congress
has done nothing to retrieve the reputation
the successive chapters of which we have
glanced at. Its endeavOrs looking to
skclctonizing the army, to stopping the fast
mail, to crippling sundry departments of the
public service in the name of economy, to
removing the safeguards that surround the
balut-bOA in the name of freedom, to starving
the Government to death to conserve fla
GRAVITY partisan legislation-such feats of Dem
ocratic craftsmanship are still fresh in the
public mind.
Mr. Blainc's challenge will not be picked up.
The Democrat that makes the attempt will
merely succeed in covering himself with con-
fusion. The fact is the record of Democ-
racy for the past twenty-One years appears
to the best advantage wheG it is let severely
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