The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1886-09-04
SENATOR HOAR'S "POLITICS. Z"
New York Herald I

does not know what the mass OF
his countrymen are thinking about,
aud rather prides himself upon his /
ignorance, to "make political cap
ital," are apt to depress his friends
and exhilarate his enemies. Sen
ator Hoar is a statesman of this
kind. Ten or fifteen years ago he
found that what has come to be
known as the 'bloOdy shirtn had
an exciting effect upon the voters
of the Northern States. This pc.
litical cataplasm may still draw
when applied to Senator Hoar's
neighbors who are also his con-
temporaries. But that there is
younger generation which is not
acted upon In the same way by
the same application, that this
younger generation determined
the issue of the last election to
the Presidency, and will still more
decisively determine the next
these are facts which may be
known to Senator Hoar as deduc-
tions from the census, but they
are facts of which he has not what
used to be called IN Massachu-
setts a "realizing sense.' If he
had such o sense he would not
have objected yesterday to an ad-
journment of Congress until bill
reported by him last April provid-
ing for Inquiries by Federal courts
into Southern outrages had been
discussed and passed upon by the
Senate. 80
Senator Hoar is not much of a
practical politician, although he
has done his utmost to become
one during the past few years.
Morally 1t may be admitted that
he fills the bill very completely,
and has been subdued to what he
worked in with remarkable celerl-
ty and success. 1t is intellectual
" that he seems to fail to meet
the requirements Of the case. 1t
cannot have escaped his notice
that the shrewdest politicians OF
his party have been increasingly
cautious of bringing up the sec
tional issue as the civil war reced
ed into history, until Ia the cam
paign of 1884 it made scarcely any
figure at all. 1t will make still
less In 1883 if the conduct of the
campaign is again intrusted to as
tute politicians. And yet, If Sen
ator Hoar means anything at all
by his resolution, he must mean
to make of the tattered and time
worn banner in question the "gon.
falonr of 1888.
IL will be observed that Senator
Hoar does not insist upon final
disposition of his bill at this ses.
sion. What he would like to
make a prerequisite to adjourn
ment is not q disposition, but a
discussion. Tie discussion would
probably turn upon the staleness
of the outrages which Senator
Hoar proposes to put upon the
judiciary the incongruous labor oil
investigating as basis for the
action Of Congress. This at least
must ostensibly be the purpose oi
the inquiry, though Senator Hoar
cannot expect that it will be the
actual result. The Senators who
do not agree with Senator Hoar
would probably say that there
have been no political ouirages IN
the South worthy of "inquests un'
der national authority" since the
Inauguration of Hayes and the
! compact which preceded that
event. 1t would then devolve up
on Senator IIoar to show that
there was probable cause to be
lieve that political outrages on a
considerable scale were still com
mitted, or had lately been commit
ted, in some parts of the South,
since even he would hardly be
able to maintain that the courts OF
the United States should be sent
upon n fishing excursion. If he is
prepared to show this, he has facts
in his possession which have not
been brought to light through
the press or otherwise, and be
does himself and his country
an injustice III keeping them
concealed in the recessess oi
his own consciousness. The
Senators from several South.
ern States denied yesterday that
there were any ouirages in their
respective committees which de-
mandeJ inquiry and challenged
the proof. These denials may he
to Senator Hoar merely additional
evidences of Southern depravity,
but they were made with so much
moderation and dignity as must
greatly have disappointed bin. II
he could have drawn the Southern
Senators into glorifyihg the Con.
. / Al. 81. .