Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-08
Raxar1.s Warming.

Senator Bayard's speech last Saturday
night. at the dinner of the Young Mems
Democratic Club of Brooklyn, appears to
have improved his prospects little as a
Presidential candidate. Although no man
stands higher in the party than senator
Bavard. and although no man has
cleaner and more honorable record, at no
time have his Presidential prospects been
promising. His State is solidly Demo-
cratic. and if il were not its electoral vote
is not matter Of very great cOnsidera-
ton. If Mr.. Bayard were a New
Yorker he would stand an excellent
chance of being nominated at Chicago.
His friends think he can carry New YORK
and are urging that as a reason why ne
should be nominated. 1t is notceaOie
that the leading New York paper deyotes
nearly the whole Of its report OF the
BROOKLYN dinner to his speech. This may
be significant, or it may simply indicate
that the speech was the only one, IN the
opinion of the paper, worthy OF puollca-
ton. The speech was warning that
will excite comment, but which will not
he productive Of practical results. The
Senator warned the country that the
growing power Of Congress threatened
the stability of the Republic.
The unbridled law of a Congressional
majority, he said, had been substituted
for the constitution. This is putting the
situation strongly, but if it isn't the
exact truth it isn't far from it. The talk
about constitutional restraints is very
weak compared to what it used to be in
the halls of Congress. When the majority
| party favors measure the constitution,
If it is in the way, is not allowed to be an
| insLrmOuntable obstacle. Soon after
the legal tender decision was render
| ed by the Supreme Court, Senator In
gals wanted to know from his place in the
| Senate if there weas anything that Con
| gress couldn't do, and nobody rose tC
| answer him. Silence did not mean thai
| there was no other than negative
answer to his question in the opinion Of
the Senate, but it did mean that the Senate
! recognized that the government was drift
| ing towards Capitalization with wonder
/ full rapiditv. When the work Of tearing
| away the restraints of legislative body
| is once begun it is impossible to predict
where it will stop. The safest prediction
is that it will stop only when al
the restraints have been removed
The Republican party is responsible fol
what has thus far been done towards
clothing Congress with the vast power
which it now claims to have, and if thai
party remains in power much Longer
nothing will be left to the States. Theil
| boundary lines will be Obliterated practi
cally, and the power of the central govern
ment will make itself felt everywhere III
/ the nation in all matters that Congress
| deems worthy of notice.
Mr.. Bayard says there are two ways tC
re-establish the authority of the cOnstitu
ton and to cOnfine Congress within its
original limits, but only one of them, viz.
by amending the constitution, appears tC
be at all feasible. No reform need be eX
pected, however, as long as the Republic
can party remains in power. 1t is doubt
| ui if it is possible to restore to the cOnsti
tuition the authority it once possessed, but
whatever is done in that direction must
| be done by the Democratic party.