Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-11
PROOFS OF POPULAR INTELLIGENCE


hgence. We have frequently of late ex.
pressed the opinion that the politicians
were presuming on the supposed credulty
of the people, and that they were in dan.
ger of being very rudely undeoeived in
that respect, and the event confirms
the accuracy of cur provision. In the
Eastern States the people have had causes
OF dissatisfaction which though con.
spicuous enough, aud though sufficiently
discussed, seem to have been obstinately
ignored by the politicians. The course of
Congress has been for some time past
eminently unsatisfactory. The most un-
precedented extravaganza in appropria-
lions has characterized it's proceedings on
| the one hand, while no attention has been
| paid to the popular demand for reduction
OF taxation. The politicians have ignored
the tariff discussion entirely, and have
! acted precisely as though the subject had
never been mentioned publicly. The ap.
pointment of the Tariff Commission was
a clumsy and perfectly transparent device
| to stave off reform which was urgently
demanded. 1t was made manifest that
| the Republican party was under the con-
| troll of the Protectionist benefciaries OF the
tariff; that the Republicans in Congress
had been persuaded by few wealthy man.
ufacturers to turn a deaf ear to the popu-
lar demand for relief and that the party
policy was to maintain the Ubiquitous tariff
taxes indefinitely. This was made evident by
the introduction of bills to abolish almost
all the Internal Revenue taxes, the obvious
purpose being to make reduction of the
tariff impossible, by compelling the coun.
try to depend upon the tariff for revenue.
At the same time it was made apparent
that the great surplus was attracting
swarms of parasites and adventurers to
Washington, and that the Republican Con.
gressmen could not be trusted to defend
the treasury any longer. The monstrous
Arrears of Pensions bill opened the eyes of
the country in that regard. 1t was seen
that in that case the Republicans had actu-
ally voted solidly, and without word of
remonstrance, for measure which plum.
dered the treasury to the enormous amount
of 500, 900, 900 and upwards, and which
literally provided for the creation and
maintenance OF whole class of swindlers
and impostors. Nothing but the rankest
demagogism can explain the passage of that
bill. The fact that both parties were afraid
to oppose it lest their opponents should
make capital out of such opposition is con.
| elusive proof that the reasonings which
controlled party action on that occasion
were of the lowest and meanest order, and
such as would appeal only to the sordid
understandings of pot house politicians. In
all such instances, moreover, the extraor.
binary inability of the professional politi.
clans to measure popular intelligence, is the
most amazing feature. These men think
the American people incapable of distin-
gushing between truth and falsehood.
/ That is one of the gross errors which have
led to the present political revolution, or
rather endorsement, as the French would
call it.
1t is to be observed that the politicians
almost always attribute to the people the
very lowest order of intelligence. They
seem TO think that any subterfuges, how.
ever crude and clumsy, will suffice to de-
ceive them. Nothing could have been
stupider than the Tariff Commission, as
blind, yet it was evidently thought all
sufficient. So, too, the votes on the
Arrears of Pension bill, and that on the
River and Harbor bill, were evidently
thought to be masterpieces of strategy,
whereas they were the most apparent and
conspicuous acts Of demagogism that could
be conceived. Take the platforms of the
party, again. The Republicans had the
impotence to "point with pride =" to their
recent record. Apparently they thought the
people were ignorant of what was passing
in the world. And instead of facing the
real issues of the day these were evaded or
ignored, and the fiimsiest devices were put
forward to divert public attention from
them. The fact is that the politicians
have been for long time mistaking popu-
lar patience for popular gullibility. 1t
took a great deal to exhaust the national
confidence in the Republican party, but
the demagogues have succeeded in doing it
at last. And all the time that they were
preparing this overwhelming disaster for
themselves, the stupid dolts were congra
tulating themselves upon their own smart
ness, and the ease with which they sue.
ceeded in duping the people. They thought
at last that they could afford to do any.
thing. After Garfeld's death they threw
off all concealment. The "machine - was
openly paraded. Hubbell and his "volun-
"tary contributions were regarded as
capital jokes. Every kind Of reform was
pooh. poohed. The most notorious corrup-
tionists were treated as honored counselors
by the party leaders. All this the people |
cav and noted.
There is no blindness like that of the |
professional politician. They think them.
selves phenomenally sagacious, whereas
they are the stupidest of the stupid. There
are no people go utterly incapable of inter.
preting public opinion. They cannot read |
the storm signals which are thrown out.
They mistake the murmur of popular anger |
for the STRINGS of popular applause. And |
SO they go on in their folly and iniquity |
until all of sudden the thunder rolls and |
the lightning darts, and the earthquake |
brings their houses about their ears But |
it is the most forcible indication of popular |
judgment and intelligence when revolu.
tion such as the present is thus swiftly |