The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-03-06
Decline of Democratic Power.

retaining power through a long sue
cession of presidential terms. 1t is in
teresting at this time, though perhaps
not particularly consoling to democrats,
to trace the steps and the way by which
the party has found the cool external
of the political fabric within whose
CHEEKY precincts they were making
merry four years ago, and, like the man
in the parable, were proposing, in the
extreme exaltation of the hour, to pull
down their political barns and build
larger ones for the waving political har-
vests they saw extending into the WIS.,
tas of the dim shadowy future.
In the forty-eighth congress, which
preceded the memorable campaign of
1884, the democracy obtained control
of the house of representatives by the
strong majority of seventy-one. The
party element that had triumphed and
proposed to direct the destinies of the
democracy was disclosed by the retire
ment of Mr.. Randall and the elevation
of Mr.. Carlisle to the speakership. In
the forty-ninth congress, the first under
the Cleveland administration the house
was democratic by forty-one majority,
significant reduction, but neverthe-
less strong enough to hold the repub
lican senate rigidly in check. The
southern wing retained its ascendency
and again sat down on Mr.. Randall and
indeed the entire northern wing of the
party. The solid South was in the
saddle, and its chief, the speaker, put
none but southern democrats on the
leading committees. In the forty-ninth
congress, of the eight democratic men,
bers on the ways and means committee
five were southerners, and similar dis
position was made of other important
committee appointments. In the
fiftieth congress, which has just eX-
pired, the consequences of the Carlisle
policy became apparent i'll the reduction
of the democratic majority in the house
to eleven. Whom the gods would de-
stroy they first make mad, and this pre-
cursor of coming destruction appeared
conspicuousiy in the constitution of the
leading committees. Six of the eight
democratic appointments on the ways
and means committee, which has to do
with the tariff and the important inter-
ests of the country, were from the
South, and from six southern states
whose industrial interests in the aggre-
gate, excepting agriculture, are infe-
rior to those of the single state of
Massachusetts. On the judiciary COM
mittee there were six southern and
three northern democrats; on the agri-
cultural committee, five southern and
four northern democrats; on the river
and harbor committee, seven southern
and one western democrat, none
from the East, though the East has
some interest in harbors. The committee
on foreign affairs was given five south
ern and two northern democrats; the
vi pOSb lOduo anu DOSl-
offices, six southern and three north
ern democrats; the public lands COM
mittee, six southern and two northern
democrats: the naval committee, six
southern and two northern democrats.
Here was political madness, unrelieved
by ray of reason; and, following
,1< al, . 10
tons of rabies in respect of the simplest
precepts of practical political economy
by the president, in his famous free
trade message, the way to sure and
overwhelming destruction was made
wide aud straight and smoothly paved.
Commencing these facts to the atten-
ton of southern men the New York
Herald says:
Committee places mean influence on
legislation, and the solid South, having the
lions share on the committees, of course
has prepared and carried on the work of
the house Now, we don't mean to say
anything against southern men, but it is
natural for northern democrats to ask them
selves, Are there no sound economists
among the northern members to take their
part on the ways and means? Are there no
good lawyers in the north to deserve places
on the judiciary committee? Is it necessary
to put seven southern democrats and not one
eastern one on the committee which looks
after rivers and harbors? Are no northern
democrats SO fit as their southern brethren
TO consider foreign affairs that that com.
mittee must have five from the South and
two only from all the great North? Are
, the post-offices and post roads of such pre-.
= dominanty southern interest that that
committee should have six southern
democrats and only one western and two
eastern ones on it? Can southern meI
wonder If year after year certain deer
irritation at that persistent political anon
I ally the solid South" lodges in northern
, minds, and that it finds expression al
northern polls?
, But thee admonitions come too late