New-York tribune., 1882-02-21
dCTN 4 RANK y

II is evident. from the brief debate last Satur-
day, that there is to be a severe struggle in the
House before the session ends on the money
question. Mr.. Hewitt has taken his position
on the side of honest money-not new one
for him-and there may be other Democratic
members who will do the same. But the large
majority of the members of that party appear
to be as ugly and bad tempered on the subject
as ever. They have imbibed the idea of Mr..
Vest. that the only chance for Democracy is in
"war against the money power" The cir
cumstances at present combine to tempt them
more strongly than ever before to adopt that
line Of policy.
The Democratic party is threatened with dis
ruption at the South by the independent course
of men who avow Greenback notions, or kim
dred financial ideas. At the West, much Of
the strength that it has is derived from its SYM
pathy with sOft-money schemes. II 1t has any
chance of gaining votes in any Eastern State,
it must gain them from the class OF voters who
have been carried away by these heresles, tor 1t
has no other point of afliliatiOn with any con-
siderable number of voters who nave 0een
Republicans. Democratic demagOgues reason
that they can stop disatiectiOn at the South,
strengthen themselves at the West, and stand at
least s good a chance as they do now at the '"st,
by open and thorough alliance with the advo-
Gates Of soft money. The bank-haters, who are
numerous and eager, pull them the same way.
Even the indignant and scornful lashng which
tney get from such Democrats as Mr.. Hewitt
tends to make nearly all the Democrats angry,
because they have participated. at one time
or another, in every discrcditable move
ment against honest money and the public
credit When a mans conscience tells him
that he has been fool or q knave, his temper
is apt to prompt him to fight it out on that
line,n and get revenged on the men who have
made him ashamed of himself.
The House and the Senate are closely
divided A few Greenback members, or half
and-half Republicans might hold the balance
of power On some points, at least complete
alliance between such men and the caucus
Democrats might prevail Alone, the Demo
Gratis are impOtent, even for vengeance.
United with others, they might at least make
mischief.
Most Democrats have come to regard the
| conservative and property y-owning interest as
the chief obstacle 10 Democratic success.
| Therein they are more than half right. The
party has been run by shallow demagOgues
ever since the war; From time to time, they
have seen chances to win by appealing to the
ignorance and the preiudices of people who
have no property, as by Mr.. Pendeton's scheme
| to pay the bonds with greenbacks, or by inia-
tion, or defeat of resumption, or abolition of
the banks. On every such occasion, without
| particularly intending to make war on prop
erty, they have alarmed it. Conservative
people in sufficient number have then made
common cause to prevent mischief. Beaten in
this way. the Democratic demagogues have
grown angry, while men of substance and prop
erty have grown distrustful Blunder after
blunder of this kind has widened and deepened
the gulf of separation, until the average Demo-
crat has come to look upon the property
as most powerful and implacable enemy.
The plan Of Mr.. Vest commends itself to
men of practical shrewdness and to men Of
mere pluck and fighting instincts. The latter
have been terribly CALLED because, year after
wear, when they have yeItured to do or say
some small thing in expression Of their feel
ings, they have been snubbed, sc0lded and sat
upon by Democratic leaders, and obliged TO cat
humble-pic and then have been laughed at by
friends and foes because they were too COW
ardy to do what they evidently wanted to do.
These men are saying one TO another: III we
"are going to get whipped, let us at least have