Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-02-26
A CHECK ON RAD,cALlsM.
Not Only Brains But Right on the Dem,
cratic

A CHECK ON RADiCALISM.
Not Only Brains But Right on the Demo-
cratic Side.
With only four more weeks of the
session the radicals must be able to con-
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 up and another siren
uous attempt made to pass it, the condi-
tons are such that ordinary care and
| watchfulness will prevent its passage.
In the first place, the radicals have
never yet controlled a majority in the
Senate for the passage of the Till. In
spite of all that the Administration has
been able to do in the way of dictation,
the conservative spirit has kept a strong
hold among the Republican Senators,
even when the majority of them seemed
to 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 executive
power have, nevertheless, hung back
| in such way as to be a dead weight,
encumbering the progress of radicalism.
AL that the bill has needed for it's
passage in the last month has been a
radical majority, to pass it, Such
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 it's
determination. Had such majority
| appeared, all that would have been
| necessary for the passage of the bill
would have been the passage of the
gag rule and resolution instructing
| the sergeant-at-arms to use force in
! supporting it. With this violence act
ually used against them in the Senate
| cham Der, the Democrats 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 radical
majority in the Senate at any time be-
| tween now and March 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 a Republican minority of conserva-
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 a faction
which is desperate and INSCRIPTIONS in
its 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
breastwork 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 deiberative 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. It is no longer so in the
American Congress. There are at least
who have a 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 a comprehensive knowledge OF
public affairs is 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.
odicals acquires so much information
that he is able to make stand on his
| own resources thus accumulated, and
maintain it creditably.
In the debate on the Mills bill, on the
Mckinley bill, on financial legislation
on the force bill, the American Con-
gress takes place second to none in
history. and it is most noteworthy
and significant fact that in the discus
sion of the two last mentioned meas
ures, the Mckinley bill and the force
bill, the Republicans, or rather thei1
radicals, have been silenced from the
start. ''We will" or 1--WE won't-so
what's the use of talking?" is what
they have said to the country in thei1
action of keeping silence themselves
and endeavoring to close discussion.
1t has been said sometimes that thi.
is because there is more brains on the
Democratic side. Certainly the party
has as much brains in it's public men a.
any party ever had, but there is a bet
ter reason: The Democrats have beer
right and the radicals wrong on these
issues, and the radicals were desper
ately aware of it.-St. Louis Republic
LOCALIZED ROBBERY.
| A Scheme to Benefit the Few at the Eek
pense of tho Many.
And now the huctuating organ which
bankers for free trade and is con
strained by its partisanship to defend
protection exults in the vindication o