Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-04-01
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We srs not IL 4 positlon TO say that
Mr.. Logan i weary OF the hght in the
Senate over the Eanunds' resolutions, but
BIZ acts as IL he were. Whether Il be due
70 conviction that tho aotion he has
induced the Senate 70 take on Che Dement,.
cass has knocked the bottom out Of those
resolutions, or whether 1t be due to d
parception uf public opinion as TO the
resi- pqsition Of tho majority senators, we
10 net know, but the resolution intro
tneea by AIR. Logan yesterday assuredly
points The way which Mr.. Edmun5s must
follow IL he does not wish 10 wreck the
party Of which he has assumed the
leadership. This resolution was as fol-
lows
Hsoired, That the scssions OF the Senate
eQ'uinoniy known ~ executive sessions, so
far AS iiisy apply 10 nunlinnticns, conflrInA-
Tiers. o. rrjerilons, snail horvifter be held
Nith Gpnn doors, aud TINT public record
" sbr same shnll le kept tho same as OF
Legislative sessions.
We hnve no desire TO impute 10 Mr..
Logan purely political motives for this
move lie viii undoubtedly be able TO
Austntn his resolution by sufficient arRu-
'lnents based on the public good. But
Mr.. Logan is an Inexperienced politician
and very sl1rewd one, and il is not un-
complimentary 10 him to shy that he has
Recognized the drift OF public sentiment,
and IN preparing 10 60 with it is showing
himself far wiser party man than those
who resist it, The safety OF the Republi-
oAn party lies in open sessions. II can
do nothing to regain public confidence
unless it resort TO them. Had the leaders,
SO far as it has any, of the party in the
Senate taken moderate course toward
The new administration, the secrecy of the
Senate might have been maintained for a
long time without any special conse-
quences. Sensible men who had reflected
on the subject would have seen that it
WIS an anomaly, an abuse, and, in some
ragRrda, nuisance. But public senti-
ment would not have been aroused. The
people generally would have been indif-
ferent. Had the Presidents nominations
been acted upon ON their merits, without
reference 10 removals or the reasons for
removals except in cases Of conspicuous
error or injustice, no one would have
seriously questioned the persistence of
the Senate in its ime-honored course.
But this policy was not pursued. The
Republican leaders were too eager. They
were not content with such reasonable
ground of criticism as might be afforded
in the regular course of affairs. They
wanted 10 pick flaws in the Presidents
policy from the start. They set out on
hunt for political capital. They forgot
that in fixing public attention on the
Presidents way of dealing with the offices
they must necessarily, at the same time,
invite attention TO their own way of deal
ing with the same subject. They did not
perceive that every time they accused Mr..
Cleveland Of concealing his motives for
his official acts they were provoking the
question why they shrouded their own
motives under an oath of complete
concealment They also failed to see
that their real difficulty in finding
fault with him lay in the fact that
there was very little occasion for fault
finding. Had they been men of sense
and cool Judgment they would have gone
on with their regular business and waited
for some good opportunity to gain legiti-
mate party advantage, In doing so they
would have helped, without directly try
ing, to divide the Democratic party, fol
up to the time the Edmunds policy took
shape the President was steadily losing
active sympathy in his own party. The
Republicans did not perceive that their
taoit approval of his course would be
more effective in weakening him with the
Democrats than anything else they could
possibly provide for that purpose. They
made the mistake of attacking him, and
his party was forced to rally to his sup
port.
Having deliberately chosen to make the
question of the treatment of the civil
service the chief issue of the session, the
Republican leaders must now fortify
themselves by abandoning the secret SEES
sion. II they do not do this they will in
eyitably lose the day. They cannot face
the public conviction Of the absurdity
the weakness, the hypocrisy of their po
sition toward the President while They
persist in the shameful policy of secrecy
in their own proceedings. This, un
doubtedly, is what Mr.. Logan perceives
He follows Mr.. Platt and Mr.. Van Wycl
in demanding that the doors be opened
He is senator of much greater inhuenc,
and Importance than either of these gen
tlemen. His resolution of yesterday mark
the beginning of the end.