National Republican., 1884-03-04
Cracking the whip.

Our esteemed contemporary, the Post has o
hard time preserving harmony in the demo-
cratic party A little while ago it read the
riot act to the Ohio democrats and pronounced
a touching funeral oration over the remains
of the party in that state, the occasion Of its
indignation and funeral grief being the
election Of Mr.. Payne to the senate. Now il
cracks the whip over tho head OF Samuel j.
! Randall, late speaker of tho house, broadly
intimates that he is traitor to tho Demo-
cratic party, and, fguratiyely speaking,
| threatens to take him by the scruT Of tho
neck and pitch him out Of the window The
OCCASION Of its frequent outburst is the fact
| that Mr.. Randall docs not approve the Nor
rison tariff bill and threatens to unite with
| tho republicans in defeating it. The Post
| says Mr.. Randall "has contracted to
| le.d the republican opposition to the
/ Lll and to deliver in the republican camp
some fifty democratic votes against it,"
Well, if MIR. Randall can lead fifty democrats
into tho republican camp, that is n pretty
formidable revolt, and, TO q worldly minded
man, might seem to justify the righteous
wrath of our esteemed contemporary. Pro-
cecding to crack the whip over the heads of
Randall and his mutineers, the Post says; :;
In voting against the Morrison bill, under
the circumstances, hese democrats will vote
themselves out of the democratic party.
They will have the choice of going into the
house caucus and aiterward bolting its
decision as traitors, or of staying out alto
gethcr and by that act aud their subsequent
proceedings proclaiming themselves repub-
leans"
These arc bravo words, and they convey
fair warning to Mr.. Randall what he may
expect ii he persists in his contumacy-noth-
ing less than 10 be cast out of the democratic
party, together with all those who do not fear
tho marty whip. There are however, q few
points which We commend to the careful and
prayer[ul consideration of the Post: First
this reading-out process is dangerous, because
you never can tell where it will end. In this
case, if it is proposed to read all the anti
free trade democrats out Of the party,
it might end in reading out
majority, or possibly in Mr.. Randails turn
ing around and reading Morrison and his
fellows out of the party. Before the wagging
begins it should bc definitely ascertained
whether the dog is going to wag the tail or
the tail the dog. If the event should prove
that Mr.. Randall is tho body and Mr.
Morrison the caudal appenduge, the latter
might have occasion to regret tho impetu.
Gus zeal of his fiery and untamed organ.
Second the stigmatizing of Mr.. Randall as
of the party because of his disagi cement with
Mr.. Morrison on the tariff question, is in
suit to man of his years and standing and
party service. He has been in public life
much longer than Mr.. Morrison, has had a
much larger experience in public affairs. and
is at least as we'll entitled to speak for his party
He has given and taken more blows in party
contests than Mr.. Morrison. And yet,
forsooth, because this democratic veteran,
this hero of many hard-fought fight this
man whom his party has delighted to honor
chooses to differ with the gentleman from
Illinois on a question of party policy, upon
which the entire democratic party is divided,
he is called traitor and threatened with
political ostracism. Wo rather think that
before this programme is carried out Mr.,
Randall and his friends will have something
to say,