News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-02-28
Wayne Mcveagh on the next Pres
idency.

Mr.. Wayne McVeagh, who was
President Garfield's Attorney Gener-
al, aud who was selected for that Of
fee to represent the independent ele-
ment of the party, has contributed to
the Century an article entitled 'The
Next Presidency" He starts out
with the proposition that the average
American citizen, having at present
no political grievance, cares very lit
tie about politics, because the govern
ment under which he lives touches his
life very rarely, and only at points of
very little Importance TO him. Is this
quite true? Is there a laborer in the
country so far removed from the ac-
tivities of business that the currency,
banking and tariff issues, so COM
pletely under the control of Congress
and political parties, are of no i'm
portance to him? Are these questions
settled SO long as the Speaker of the
House, representing the present con-
trolling element in one party, selects
man to head the Banking and Cur
rency Committee who would, if he
could, substitute irredeemable paper,
or, more strictly speaking, paper for
which no redemption is provided for
the present currency of the banks,
and who declares for the continued
coinage of silver dollars which are
not worth dollar in The money of
commerce? We beg to say TO Mr..
McVeagh that the currency question
is not settled. Mr.. McVeagh as
sumes that there is very little differ
ence in the views Of the parties on the
tariff. If there is, it is that the Re-
publicans believe in protection with
incidental revenue, and the Demo-
Gratis are for revenue with incidental
protection. What parties may put
into their platforms at their National
Conventions cannot now be predicted.
1t is possible that the Democrats will
no longer declare for "a tariff for rev.
enue only" but the element of the
party in power in Congress is honest
ly in favor of that doctrine. Wheth-
er they put it in their platform or not,
they mean it; and whenever they have
the power, as the Democratic party
when in power has always done, they
will enact tariff hostile to the manu-
featuring interests of the country.
Never in the history of the country
were the two parties more at vari-
ance than they are on the tariff ques-
ton at the present time. The writer
assumes that the sectional question is
settled. Perhaps so far as platforms
are concerned and so far as it refers
to the war it is; still there are many
hundred thousands of earnest men in |
the Republican party who will insist
that the maintenance of the party or
ganization is necessary so long as
Copiah county outrages upon the right |
of suffrage are practiced. Mr.. Nc
Yeah assumes that there IS little diff |
ference between the two parties on
the question of civil service reform.
1t cannot be that he is making in
quiTy. Does he not remember that
Senator Pendleton was refused re-
election in Ohio because he was con-
nected with the passage of the pres
ent law? Does he know of like in
stance in the Republican party? Is
not the law being given a faithful en-
Have not the President
and most of the heads of depart
nents expl essed their approval of it
Admit that the Republicans in Con-
yress have not been SO prompt in
adopting the theory of competitive
as was the writer, does !