New-York tribune., 1882-08-16
4 DEMOCRATIC AMBUSH.

Connlants have been made i'll certain Demo-
cratic quarters that the new men at the head OF
affairs in the Democratic Congressional Com
mittee are doing little or nothing in the way OF
campaign work for the fall elections. General
! Rosecrans and Mr. Flower are serving their
first term in Congress, and neither OF them has
| had any preyOus experience III political man
apement. General Rosecrans's campaigns have
all been military, and Mr.. Flowers financial;
the former in the field. the latter in the
|. - Street. The business intrusted to them Is
something to which they are entirely new.
General Rosecrans knows well enough how to
set squadrons in the field, post his cavalry, in
fantry and artillery, advance, retreat, or "hold
the fort.n Mr.. Flower is not ignorant of imam
ca strategy or clique tactics, OF methods OF
cornering stock or buling market. But
neither of them has had any experience except
in very limited way in the conduct OF single
Congressional campaign, in firing the popular
heart arousing the masses and organizing pO-
litical victory. They do not appreciate the I'M
portance Of flooding the country with Congress
sional eloquence; of enlightening Democratic
free traders with Mr. HeWitt'S ideas of revenue
reform, and Democratic protectlOnlsts with
Mr. Voorhees, notions of a taiitf OF giving
the Greenbackers Mr. Bland's views on the
currency question:, and the hard money men
Mr. Flowers own views on National Banks
| of iudiciously selecting the districts into which
! TO send Mr. Whitthorne's denunciation OF
fellow member as liar, periurer and thief"
and those in which the circulation of MIR. Cox's
impassioned protest against the lndecencles OF
debate would do most good; OF warming the
| Irish heart with Mr. Wm L. RobnsOn's power
ful tvistlngs of the tail Of the British Lion, and
of furnishing wrapping paper to Chatham-st III
the form OF Mr. COx's pOst-adOurnment
rhapsody on the persecution of the Jews III
Russia.
1t has been intimated moreover, that they
not only do not appreciate the necessity for
spreading this variegated eloquence abroad, but
that they are too much occupied with forward
| ing the schemes of their own personal ambl-
ton to give the necessary time and attention to
| this great work of political enlightenment.
| General ROsecrans is interested in procuring
his own return to Congress, and is believed
besides to care a great deal more for the de-
fence of his military reputation, which he be-
lieves to have been unusty assailed, than for
the success of the Democratic party. Between
looking out for his own future and defending
his past he has little time to give to the circu-
latjon of Democratic documents AS for Mr..
Flower he has boom to take care OF which
engrosses his whole mind. No man can be an
asplrant for the Democratic nomination for
Governor of the State of New-York in the
present condition Of that party, or cOngerles of
parties and have time to attend to anythin g
else. Mr.. Flowers personal anxiety relates
not so much to the need of having a Democratic
10 Of q
Flower majority III The next Democratic Con-
vention. 1t is much more important to HIM to
explain his own position to the Democrats OF
this State than to enlightcn the rest of the coun
try as to tie views of Democratic members OF
Congress. The party to which he looks for
promotion is an Anti Kelly party, and he finds
if necessary to Explain why he voted foI Kelly
for Governor in 1879. 1t is making n great
ado over the River and IIarbor appropriations
rs q Republican steal" and he has to explain
how he happened to be absent impaired when
the bill was passed. SO the two statesmen to
whom the Democratic Congressional Committee
have intrusted the campaign having their
hands full Of their own affairs, the campaign
lags.
An answer however, has lately been made to
the complaints of their inactivity, and very
singular answer IT is To state it briefly they
have done and are doing nothing, with the de-
liberate purpose of giving the Republicans a
majority in the next Congress, that the
latter having rope enough may hang them
selves A Democratic Representative is re-
ported as saying in explanation Of the indi1er
ence of the Committee, that "A strong element
in the party think it would be better policy
with reference to the campaign of 1854, to
"let the Republicans have undisputed control
"of the Government in the next Congress"
The record of the Republican party, he thinks,
"is so disSraceful under the present leaders,
"wh0 are almost sure to dominate with equal
"power in the XLYlIIth Congress, that the
GDemOcratic party can do no better than let
them have all the rope they want He
directs attention to the fact that even if the
Democrats should carry the next Congress by
small majority, they would be opposed by
Republican Senate and Executive, and the vic
tory would be a disadvantage instead of a ben
eft. "Tlis consideration" he says Z" has con-
siderable weight among Democrats, and makes
them in a measure Indifferent to the issue of
" the pending Congressional campaign" And
this, we take it, is the excuse OF the Democratic
Congressional Committee for letting the cam
Dajgn take care of itself. They give up the
contest in advance on the ground that their OPP
ponents will be more damaged by victory than
by defeat. Remembering that the Democrats
have never failed To damage themselves when
temporary success gave them opportunity, they
propose TO set the sa1ne trap for their oppo-
nents, Nor are they entirely unwise. For