The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-03-16
CURRENT PRESS OPINION.
The Neglect Of the Negro.


negro Worlds Fair Commissioner TO pre-
pare proper exhibit of negro progress
In a letter to the gentleman who urged
the appointment OF Mr.. Isaiah T. Mont
gomery Mr.. Harrison says that he has no
authority TO add new Commissioner.
The plea is sound enough, unless Mr..
Harrison has sufficient influence toinduce
some Commissioner to retire in order that
he may repair the blunder made in not
doing this manifestly right thing in the
first place. But why was that blunder
made2 Surely at the Worlds Fair If any
where the 100000 of colored citizens
should have fair opportunity TO show
what they have done with the liberty Sc
cured to them by fearfully costly war.
We have nothing more interesting than
this to show to foreigners, nothing more
hopefully encouraging to the spread of
American ideas.
But this Administration and the party
IL represents have no concern to deal gen
erously or even Justly with the s,0000O0
black citizens of the Republic. They re-
gard these men as so many. .chattels Of the
Republican party whose votes belong not
to the men who cast them, but to the
party; they hold the colored man bound
to their service, with no claim to recon-
pense or even to the reward of recognition
upon such pressing occasion as this.
1t seems Just possible that the intelli-
gcnce Of the negro citizens may some
day discover the. insulting nature of this
assumption and that negro manhood may
| resent it in a fashion more instructive
| than agreeable TO the Republican party
managers
A Pitifnl Performance.
From ne Neac York Times.
Mr. Robert =. Portcr's defense of his
census of this city before the special As
| sembly committee was rather pitiful
| performance. He threw the responsibility
FOR the failure to consider the Just de-
mands of New York upon the shoulders
of his official superior, and his whole at
titude was precisely what II has sbeen
ever since the accuracy of his work was
brought in question. That is to say, 1t
was not that of an upright and Jealous
official, anxious only to bring his work as
near as possible to perfection, but it was
| that of man who does not care whether
his work is well or i'll done, and does not
even care what people think about 1t, pro-
vided he gets out of IL with all his salary
and a whole skin.
He did not attempt to overthrow the
| inference that his census was an under
estimate, drawn from all manner of col
lateral statistics. j He went so far, how
ever, as to make the wild guess that the
population of New York in June was
| 100000 less than its population in October.
Wild as twas, thisg guess would not suffice
to vindicate his census, which he seems
to be aware is not susceptible OF vindica-
tion. He showed throughout the same
| unwillingness to submit his methods and
his results to criticism that he has shown
before. and he did his utmost to justify
| the suspicious that have been expressed
concerning his personal share in depriv-
ing the city of its rights.
The Mckinley Tariff Doomed.
From he PHILADELPHIA Times.
The election of General Palmer to the
Senate by the Illinois Legislature deter
mines the exact political status of the
next Senate; There are yet three vacan-
cies to fill, but the political cast of the
new Senators is settled. California will
send Republican TO succeed Hearst.
| Democrat, who is dead; Maryland will
send Democrat to succeed Wilson, DEM
ocrat. who is dead, and Florida will send
n Democrat to succeed Call, Democrat,
whose term has expired Hearst had two
years to serve, and Wilson had just been
reelected to the full term of six years.
The Senate OF the late Congress had 81
Republicans and 81 Democrats, giving the
Republicans a majority of II. The new
Senate of the Fifty-second Congress will
have 46 Republicans, 40 Democrats and Q
Independents. The Independents-Kyle
of South Dakota and PETER of Kansas
| uIc uotu pOSitiNc III tuclI AoStlllJy W LlBu
tariff taxes and opposed to the policy of
the Administration generally.
On the vital political issues the Senate
stands 46 Republicans TO AZ Democrats and
opposition, giving the Republicans ma
iority; but on the tariff issue, three of the
old Republican Senators who are in the
new Congress, voted against the Mckinley
bill. These added to the 42 Democrats
and low tariff Independents, all of whom
are pronounced against the McKinley bill,
would make 45 anti-McKinley tariff, SEN
ators to 43 Mckinley Republicans.
1t is entirely safe to assume that the new
House will pass the repeal of the Mckinley
tariff by more than two-thirds vote and
IL is now entirely safe to assume that the
new Senate will repeal It by decided ma
jority. Of the Republican Senators who
voted for the Mckinley bill not less than
ten are known to have been opposed to II
and voted for 1t only under severe party
pressure. That was before the November
elections and with the cyclonic upheaval
against high tariff taxes In the West, there
may be others who would vote to repeal
the monopoly tariff even over the veto Of
the President.