The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-19
CREAM OF THE PRESS
Current Comments Culied From the Lead
Ing Papers of the Country.
NEW York Timcsl

| Current Comments Cuileu U rom the se""
Ing Papers of the Country.
New York Times.
There IL no place in the country where D
is so difficult TO Judge Of the sense ant
temper of the people as the National capi
tai. It's atmosphere Is thick with politica
intrigue and that particular partisan splri,
that looks upon the possession OF once ana
the control of patronage as the be-all ano
end-all of political activity. AS cOnse
quence, the politicians engaged in its tur
moi are almost sure TO misjudge public
opinion aud mscalculate the effect of theii
measures, and any party movement thai
has its origin in Congress, instead OF haY
ing come from the people, is very likely u
miscariy.
There could he no better illustration 81
this tendency tnan is found IN the fate ol
the Force bill. The subject with which
| that measure deals was not occupying Inc
attention of the people, and its purpo' {
was not i'm the direction of their desires
There was no popular demand for II in any
party or III any section Of the country, am
il was directly opposed To the general drii'
of popular feeling, which desired nothing
more than a continued and increasing har
mOny between the sections of the country
so long in conflict IL was a party device
Matched up 10y the politicians OF the lower
house, with the Speaker at their head and
| with the aih and encouragement OF suci
men in the Senate a. IIoar and Chandler. II
these men had understood the sentiment OF
the country they never would have under.
taken such scheme. speaker Reed and
! his supporters in the House had dim con
| sciOusncss that this measure would mol
stand debate, and that il would not be SAFE
/ ii
country, and hence they resOrted 10 theil
arbitrary tactics to drive it through under
the party whip and spur, but they seem t(
| have had no real conception the state Of
the public mind OF the subject or of the ef
feet that would be produced by the course
they adopted.
The 1horns and stiDgs.
THE Natlou.l
The irritation shown by senator Edmunds
and other supporters of the Mckinley Tarit
bill nj the slow progress of the measure j.
quite natural 10 those who look upon tariff
| bill that has been reported by the Finance
Committee as necessarily the right thing Ia
be enacted into law. such persons cannot
understand why such stubborn opposition
should be made on small things, or what
seem 10 them TO De small things. We
think that an easy answer can be found To
things involves the bread and butter Of a
greater or less number Of voters and their
| families. The Democrats. as Senator Plumb
has wisely discerned. do not want to olimi-
nate from the bill all the thOrns and stings
that are producing riots in the Republican
camp. Their idea is that protection has eN-
hausted itself as battle-cry. and that from
this time forward the details Of the tariff
are the chief concern of the yOiers-that
the difference between one cent and two
cents in the duty on tin plate, for example,
is the point of interest, instead OF the
general question Of pauper labor and the
Golden Club. For this reason they are
giving close attention 10 details. and in this
they are right both as a matter Of party
policy and as a matter of public interest.
TO hold up the fiye-minutes' rule in terrOrem
will not move them hair 1t will merely
put a fresh obstacle in the way Of business.
Ii is not for the interest of the Democrats
10 defeat the Mckinley bill. Senator Plumb
is quite right on that pOint) 1t is for their
interest, however, TO expose all OF its mi
quities, and 10 do so in such a thorough
way that the people shall be supplied with
facts and arguments in the ensuing cam
paign.
The West Displacing New England.
baltimore SUM-
The statement in our Washington dis
patches that Western Republicans are dis
putting New England leadership affords sub
stantial ground for encouragement 10 the
South. The New England idea in the
councils Of the dominant party Of late has
been bitterly prOscriptiye Of the SOUTH
which has substantial reasons for hoping
for better treatment at the hands Of the
West. The South and the West are allied
dustrial interests. Both are agricultural
sections and are equally interested in econO-
mic reforms which only need their united
support 10 prevail If Western influence
should substitute a "broad gauge" policy
for the narrow bigOtry which has
characterized the course of leading New
England politicians. who we may confident
" assume do not represent the real sentl-
ment Of their people, the whole country, in
Guiding New England itself. will be the
gamer. The South has no quarrel with
New England. 1t extends cordial well
come to settlers from that section and
would be glad to live on friendly terms with
its Northern neighbOrs. Unfortunately the
men in control Of New England politics
seem determined 10 stir up the embers Of
sectional strife, and their rclegation 10 the
rear could scarcely fail 10 result in better
understanding between the two peoples
whom they are constantly striving TO get 10y
the ears.
Republicans i'm The South.
Philadelphia Tines
District-AttOrney Graham lately made a
journey into the South. extending to Texas.
and in Yesterdays issue of the Times he
gave his views freely on the Southern situa-
ton.
Like all intelligent Republicans who visit