The Brookhaven leader., 1888-02-16
WITHOUT A POLICY.

The DecayiDg and CrumDling Cohuiton
of the Republican Party.
Time was when Republican party
ism stood for something. But since
the election of President Cleveland it
has become political negation. For
three years the Republicans in Con-
gress have proved the merest obstruc-
tionists. They have declaimed in their
platform and from the stump against
the accumulation of the surplus and
the continuance of oppressive taxation,
but in Congress they have contented
themselves with opposing the consid-
Grafton of bills brought forward by the
Democrats for the abolition of reduc-
ton of unnecessary taxes On the
great economical question of the time
they have not attempted to formulate
any positive policy.
When the President was confronted
with a vacancy on the bench of the
United States Supreme Court and un-
dertook to fill it by an appointment
from the circuit in which the vacancy
existed, they pursued their modern
tactics of obstruction. They raised
the groundless and ridiculous objection
to the appointment Of Judge Lamar
that his sympathies are Southern. In
fact, they made a sectional plea for his
rejection by the Senate when the ap-
pointment was necessarily sectional
as all appointments to the Supreme
| Bench must inevitably be. on account
of the sectional division of the coun-
try into judicial circuits. After OBJ
structing the action of the Pr sident
as long as they were able a halt was
called upon their absurd folly by three
Senators of their own party.
| In the Carlisle-Thoebe contested cleo
ton case the obstructive idea took pos
session of the minds of the Republican
leaders in Congress. Although two of
the most prominent Republican MEM
bers of the Committee on Elections
had joined the Democratic members OF
the committee in reporting to the
House that Mr. Thoebe had not made
out a case, that Mr.. Carlisle was clear
ly entitled to his seat and that there
was no ground for reopening of the
case, and although these Republican
members of the committee addressed
the House in speeches unequivocally
and emphaticallv in favor of confirm
ing Mr.. Callsle in his seat, the petty
trick of obstructing the adoption Of the
report of the committee was resorted
to by the Republican side of the House.
Some thirty members were paired
and absent and the Republican
leaders of the House, with
breadth of craftsmanship that would do
honor to moot congress of ften-year-old
school-boys. seized the opportunity to
| leave the House without Il quorum by
sitting silent in their seats when the
vote on the contested election case
was taken. When brought to book
they based their obstructive action on
the false ground that the case ought to
be reopened in order to enable ThOebe
| to take further testimony! A most
transparent subterfuge, but sufficient
in the Judgment of such eminent Estates
men as Tom Reed and Tom Browne to
cover their deceit. Mr.. Thoebe has
had more than year to take his testi-
mony. As was proved before the COM
mlttee, his attorney had plenty of
money to rake over the district for evil
| dence. Bot he utterly failed in his at
tempted assault on the election re-
turns which gave Mr. Carlisle the seat,
and tw. honest Republican members
of the Committee on Elections de-
clared that Mr.. Thoebe had not laid
any ground for reopening of the
case.
But the party of obstruction. the
moribund, decayed and crumbling Re
publican party, played its pantomime
to the end. Harris6urg (Pa.J Patriot.