The Washington critic., 1885-10-22
WASHINGTON, D. O., OCT %, 1885
THE NEXT HOUSE.

In the coming Congress there will be
1s4 Democrats and III Republicans,
counting General Weaver of Iowa as a
Democrat and Mr. Brumm Of Pcnnsyl.
vania as q Republican, both Of these
gentlemen being known in political
parlanco as Grccnbackcrs. In this
classification it is also assumed that the
vacancy in the fifth district of Illinois,
represented In the last Congress by Mr..
Ellwood, will be filed at the Novcm.
Der election by Republican, and the
vacancies in the eighth New York dis.
trict, lately represented by Mr.. s. 5.
Cox, and nineteenth Pennsylvania dis
trict, formerly Mr.. Swope's, by Demo.
Gratis. Therefore in full House the
Democrats will have majority of
forty-threc, whereas in the Forty
eighth Congress they had majority of
seventy-five.
But forty-thrcc is as safe working
majority as seventy-hve, and much
easier to handle, provided the party is
under iudicious leadership and not
blinded to the essentials of success by
factious animosiues and icalousios in
its own councils, as was notably the
case last winter in its wrangles over the
tariff question.
The House will continue to be an
tagonized by Republican Senate and
the free course of legislation be CORE
spondingly impeded; but it is possible
for the Democrats at both ends of the
Capitol to make much better record
than was made by their immediate pre-.
decessors and it will be absolutely
necessary for them to do so in order to
popularizc and strengthen the Admin
istration. With a feeble, temporizing
or negative support of President Cleye.
land, and material differences among
themselves as to tine lines Of policy tha
he may point out in his message, they
cannot expect to hold the confidence OF
the country, and will simply play into
the hands of the ambitious generals OF
the Republican party who are planning
10 recapture the ground they lost in
1884 and secure from the people
another long lease of power.
Our Democratic friends have been
insisting long and loudly that change
in the political character of the Admin
istration was imperatively needed fol
the publication of the Government and
the welfare OF the governed; it is now
incumbent upon them to substantiate
it. This, they can do, If honest and
wise, despite the opposition Of the Sen
ate, but never, without a thoroughly
sympathetic understanding between
the House and the President and ,
whole-hearlcd determination on tht
part of the former to support the Ey
ecutive in all reasonable recommendo
tions, even at some sacrifice of local OF
partisan preiudiccs to the contrary.
THE Critic is moved to these re
marks not by party feeling but on tn,
higher and broader ground that ,
change of Administration having been
brought about and Il President elecle,
who, as far as can be judged, deserve
the public confidence, tits better fol
the country that the new order o
things be put to its fullest and faires
test than to be overturned through tn
inability or contentious indisposition o
its friends to sustain it. In other word
it is better for the material interests o
the people, the present Administration
being found TO possess the elements o
honesty and capacity, that they b
spared for while the trying ordeal o
another political revolution.