The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1891-04-23
A CHECK ON RADicALIsM.
Not Q ~ brains But Right ON the Demo
cratfn side.

A CHECK ON RADicALIsM.
Not ny brains But Right ON the Demo
cratic side.
Wita only four more weeks - the
session the radicals must be able to eon-
troll the Republican party in the Senate
and willing to prevent the passage Of
the appropriations bill If the force bill
Is TO pass. While it is probable that the
bill will be called mp and another stren-
nous attempt made to pass it, the condi-
lions are such that ordinary care and
watchfnlncss will prevent its passage.
In the first place, the radicals have
never yet controlled majority in the
Senate for the passage Of the bill. In
spite OF all that the Administration has
been able to do In the way of. dictation,
the conservative spirit has kept strong
hold among the Republican Senators,
even when the majority Of them seemed
70 yield to radicalism. The more cour-
ageous Of them have manifested this
spirit IN open opposition, while those
who did not feel strong enough to
venture SO much against the exeeutive
power have, nevertheless, hung back
in such a way as to be dead weight,
encumbering the progress of radicalism.
All that the bill has needed for its
passage. in the last monthshas been a
radical majority, to pass it. Such
a majority could have suppressed
the opposition at once, even though
the opposition had been continued, as
it should and as it doubtless would
have been, up to the point where a
majority appeared determined on force,
and using force in the expression of its
determination. Had such a majority
appeared, all that would have been
necessary for the passage of the bill
would have been the passage of the
gag rule and a resolution instructing
the sergeant-at-arms to use force in
supporting it. With this violence act
ually used against them in the Senate
chamber the =Demeerats=would have
been Obliged to abandon their attempts
to persuade the representatives of the
Republican party not to pass the bill.
While persuasion has thus far
triumphed, the appearance of a radical
majority in the Senate at any timesbe-
tween now and March 4 will pass the
bill inside of twenty-four hours
1t is possible that such majority
will appear, but that it is not probable
is almost as much due to the courage
of Republican minority of conserya-
tives. as it is to the Democrats. The
Republican Senators who have boldly
denounced the bill knew that in doing
SO they invited the enmity of faction
which is desperate and INSCRIPTIONS in
it's methods and which is in power, con-
! trolling the far-reaching political re-
sources of tens of thousands of salaried
Offices Nevertheless they spoke, and
spoke bravely, and in doing so made a
breastworS for other Republican SEN
ators, conservative but too timid to
openly declare against radicalism in a
Republican administration.
The speeches on the bill have been
up to the high standard of the last two
or three Congresses. With the Mills
bill debate our Congress in both House
and Senate took the very highest rank
as deliberative body-higher than it
has ever held before; higher than any
other deliberative body has ever held in
knowledge of political economy and
the science of government In most de-
Lucrative bodies in American history
and other histories one or two masters
of the subjects in hand have controlled
the rest by force of their superior
knowledge. 1t is no longer so in the
American Congress. There are at least
1ffl5ken men in House and Senate now
7 who have more comprehensive
knowledge of : the tariff than Clay,
| Webster, Calhoun and Benton together.
We do not mean that they are greater
men, but they have had greater oppor-
tunities forced on them The man now
who reads and who does not OBJ
tain comprehensive knowledge of
public affairs is a dullard indeed
There are hundred newspapers
and periodicals now where there
were ten in the time of Clay and Web
ster, and they have hundred times as
much in them. In their partisan conten-
tions they dig deep into every subject
before the people. The public man who
works industriously in the leads thus
| opened comes continually on rich mines
of information, but even the lazy poll
! tician who will not work at all except
| to read the newspapers and other peri
ooicals ACQUIRES SO much inior ma S:
| own resources thus accumulated. and
| maintain IL creditably, t@9.5~s
In the debate ON the Mills bill, on the