Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-10-02
Mr.. HASTINGS LETTER.
SENATOR GRAR'S POSITION KA-
VIEWED BY A WRLTERs

HIBWED BY A WRITER
which IL the Party of Revolutionary
Niensures-- Gray Points Ont
the Dangers rnnt are reEhreAtensng.
Edit0r Gazette. MIR. Washington
Hastings, in his open letter of Monday
week distinctly charges Senator Gray
with the most heinouH Of oil offences
that can be applied to 9 public man
that of demagogism. The senator is
accused of sowing the seeds of turbu-
lenoe, aud. by implication of fostering
social revolution, the blind fury which
oyerthrows all conditions of order and
of settled government.
as stated, no more serious charge
could be made. 1t is, considering the
status OF the two parties, one United
States senator, and the other merchant
and manufacturer OF the highest stand
ing, equivalent to public impeachment.
MIR. Hastings asserts that Senator
Gray's statements tend to foster social
disorder. Allowing the assertion TO stand
by itself for moment, let uE take q
glance at the senator's position when he
made the statements which have drawn
| forth the diatribe.
| Looking over it all carefully and dis
passionately it will be found that his
charges sgaiust the Republican party
and that party's measures in Congress
and out of It are the exact reproduction,
the iteration, but in much more sober
terms, of the charges OF public opinion
in the press from all sections OF the
country against the recent courSs of the
Republican party. Therefore, the implied
wish to stismatize Senator Gray as being
Nr,. lrT
Of the Republican party in thess denun-
Citations, whesher they be just or unjust,
| is unworthy of Just critic and the facts
stand that Senator Gray is but one among
| scores who are on record for saying what
| he has said and much more in addition.
| MIR. Hastings has succeeded, whether in
tentionally or not, in causing the rank
and fiIs of Republicanism in this city to
suppose that the senator is the frst to
make thess charges.
The press of the country has criticised
the Mckinley tariff legislation, the Pen
sion bill, the Force bill as revolution
| ary," as 'crime," 'of infamous repuLe,"
conspiracy 'subversive of commercial
relations with the world" twill bring o
storm Of popular rage about the ears OF
the conspirators," as "inviting grave
popular uprising" "menaoing and inde-
fensible," ''cRusing chaos and contu-
sion," "fraught with serious danger to
our institutions" and in scores Of other
phraseology Of equally extreme criticism
of the very measures which the senator
referred to.
The point here is that the above
phraseology is taken indifferently from
ths press OF every section OF the country,
from Maiue to Florida, and from Della
ware to California. In other words it is
public opinion in its criticism Of the
Force, the Mckinley and other Republi-
can measures. Yet Mr. Hastings, as II
he had not read anything of these
voluminous opinions refers to Senator
| Gray as If he were the sole and only per-
sen charging the Republican party with
the enactment Of revolutionary measures.
And with that reasoning he adjudges
Senator Gray demagogue.
| MIR. Hastings is asked to consider the
position of any one protesting against q
believed wrong. What could he think
Of Patrick Henry and other Revolutionary
fathers who denounced sturdily the in
famous encFoachments of the British
crown. Had Hsmpden and Pym not in
veigled iu parliament against "Tonnage
and Poundsge," there would have been
no Oliver Cromwell and possibly no
United States.
We're Hampden, Pym, Cromwell,
Patrick Henry, Jefferson and Washington
demegogues for denouncing govern
mental usurpations2 And yet Senator
Gray is, in his denInciation of the recent
I Republican measures, only following a
course inspired by them.
But it must be remembered that Sena.
tor Gray's position ia actually not the ex.
treme one that MIR. Hastings hiss Implied.
The senator at this moment, stands only
as a sentinel, pointing out the dangers,
now but partly deserted, towards which
the country IL in his opinion drifting.
And if ne be doing that he is doing not
an iota less than his duty. II the state.
ments of public opinion upon the meas
ures referred to be only partially true,
Mr.. Gray would even then be less than q
patriot, did he, believing them, halt for
one moment in.denounciug in clarion voice
such detestaule propositions as the Force
bill.
Following are a few expressions hastily
gathered from various papers of tho
country upon the measures denounced
by Senator Gray. They are given to
show to MIR. Hastings that the opinion
nat conf;nsd ~ the Democratic ssnat or
from DeIswsre.
.,,a.a,,n,, =, ,,,,,,or ,,n,o,,,n,,
LIE iANAsUi'N 40 NNfonoftoNANh
Tha intense anxiety OF the kepuoiican
corsplretors 10 push the Force Dill
Through she Senate without fair diseus-
sion or decent consideration, SHOULD IN
itself be sufnclont TO alarm and arouse
the country. The measure IS so reyoiu-
tionary, SO menscing, SO plainly inde.
tensible, that the purpose OF its friends
| 10 escape debate, and thereby to escape