National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-12-04

Dental succession,n the Philadelphia
Timcs-an Independent Democratic news
paper-frankly admits that tho Democrats
were afflicted with bad attack of the mar
rowest partisanship when they refused to
pass Senator Hoar's bill providing for the
presidential succession. The Times further
comedies that "thcy couldn't see anything
wrong in IL, but they feared that some
thing might be wrong that was beyond the
scope Of their partisan vision, and they
failed to pass it."
Under existing circumstances the Times
recommends, as the best thing to be done,
that, as soon as Congress meets, the House
should introduce and pass the Honr bill
"without altering a line Of It," The editor
adds:
1t Is Just such law rs is needed II is clearly
logical in defining the presidential succession,
and It's enactment would quiet forever all pop
ular unren. about possible vacancies in the
chief office of the nation.
What fearful condemnation of n great
parry is implied by the well-chosen words
Of this Democratic newspaper. Here was
n bill affecting the stability, II not the pos
sible existence, Of the government; a bill in
fulfllment Of a long neglected and impera-
| tive constitutional duty; bill which had
| passed the scrutiny of all the Democratic
| jurists in the Senate, including Mes5ts.
Bayard, Garland and Lamar bill so plain
that its meaning and effect were within the
easy comprehension Of siXth-grade school
boy; bill SO necessary that no man dared
question It's urgency, and yet the great ma
| tip,,aI 10 f,o os taI In
the peoples branch Of the national legisla-
ture, was afraid of 1t. "They couldn't see
anything wrong in it"-of course they
couldn't-but they were as afraid of it as
the official occupants of Dublin castle would
be of mysterious box found on the door
stepl
What comment on the statcsmanship
Of the Democratic party What an exposi-
tion Of its intelligence its capacity to legis-
late for and govern such a nation as ours
The same kind and degree of intelligence,
II applied to business affairs, would ruin
any and every enterprise from n peanut
stand to transcontlnental railway corpo-
ration. II is rare indeed that any great
party thus stands up before the country in
self-confessed asininity. And the Demo-
cratic is the only party ever known or
heard of that would still hold mp its head
after such an exposure, as If proud of It's re-
proach.
But the Times has something more to
say in relation to the Hoar bill Supposng
1t to have been pushed through the House
in the early days Of the coming session it
says:
tits possible that the Republicans who origI
mated and favored the Hoar bill in 1882 when
the Republicans had the Cabinet, may now
take spasm of narrow partisanship aud refuse
TO support their own measure; but 1t Is probable
that there are enough manly senators to stand
by their record of 1852 and thereby assure the
passage of law that would end all apprehen.
slons about the presidential succession.
There is not the least reason in the world
for any apprehension that the Senate will
fail to pass the IIoar bill, or its equivalent
as soon as 1t can be done ''deccntly and in
order" Indeed, the probabilities are that
the House will receive the bill from the SEN
,, ate, instead Of taking It up of its own voll.
tion. And still another probability is that
1t will stampede the House again Ikea sup
posed ciUckwork bon or dynamite, Or sUnt
other internal machine.
1t seems next to impossible, but It is G
fact, that there are Democratic congress
men who Go not know the provisions of ex
isting law-the act of 1192-in relation tc
the presidential succession. There are
Democratic congressman who are moi
aware that any discussion of this subject II
now going on. They know that majority
of senators are Republicans, and that il
, quite sufficient to insure their opposition tt
any bill originating in the Senate.
1t is the belief Of the Republican party
: that the IToar bill makes the wisest practica
BILE disposal of grave question, and thai
the ignorance of narrow-minded majority
in the House, which defeated the bill, wa:
| a national disgrace.
The Republican senators will be as ready
to vote for that bill now, when the Cabne
officials are Democrats, as they were wher
Republicans held the seven Cabine
uOsitiOns