Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-01
PECULIAR OBSTRUCTION.
The leaders Of the House Filibustsring
Against Their Own FolIowers-KepubIi-
cans Going to Make . Strong Effort to
[conRIspoNpENcI on THE p1srAroH.1

before have the leaders or the House been
compelled to flibuster in order to defeat
those whom they lead. But it has been long
painfully evident that the Democratic ma
5ority OF the present House are without
leaders. They have gentlemen, some able,
some amiable and some neither the one nor
the other, at the head Of the various great
committees of the House occupying the posi-
tions filed in former Congresses by men
who actually led in the debates and the acts
OF that body. But the gentlemen who oc-
cupy these places at this time seem to be
utterly unable to control the action of the
members of their own party, and are, there
fore, in no true sense to be termed leaders.
The plain truth is that the Democratic ma
1ority in the House has hardly q first-class
man on the floor. They have a good many
takers, but neither orators nor debaters.
They have a good many men who are
capable of excellent work in the committee
room. but who are unable to hold up their
own as against such men as Reed and Bur-
rows. The result of all of this, of course, has
been that the Democratic majority has
houndered about in the sea Of legislation
much after the aimless fashion of a ship at
sea without a rudder.
After Soma Son, hern States.
The managers of the Republican national
campaign propose to make an earnest and
intelligent effort to carry the electoral votes
OF certain OF the Southern States. Ever
since 1876 1t has been one OF the cherished
dreams OF the Republican managers in the
national campaigns to break up the solid
South. Every effort made in that direction
SO far has proved unavatling. There was a
time when it was hoped that Virginia had
swung permanently away from her Demo
cratic mornings; but owing to causes not
he f0 ant v;rio
mained welded to her Democratic idols.
Now, however, the situation is moro hopeful
than at any time since the solid South be-
came a political fact.
The rise of the Third party through the
Farmers Alliance has done much to break
down party lines throughout certain South
ern States and may result in the loss or the
electoral votes OF some of them to the
Democrat1c party, which heretofore at the
presidential elections, has been enabled, in
political figuring, to begin with every vote
from that section as absolutely certain.
Several OF these Southern States have
become very close in Presidential years but
none of them so far has come entirely over
to the Republican party. West Virginia
election to Mr.. Cleveland by 500 or GOO
plurality. Old Virginia only gave Demo-
cratic plurality Of few thousands.
States That Were Once Certain.
North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee
are States that under any other condition of
affairs than that existing in the South of
late years would be certain to vote against
the party which believes the system of pro-
lection to American industries to be q
crime. These FIVE States have been held in
line in the Democratic party by the chimera
of negro domination. This always was, and
is now, political 1mpossibility. But the
prejudices of the whites against the blacks
have been so successfully worked on the
one hand, and the sympatnies of the white
voters of these States with the whites of
those States in which the colored population
IS In the numerical superiority on the other,
that no appeal to reason, common sense, or
sel1-fnterest has in any previous election
Deen able to make them break away from
the Democratic party.
The adherents OF the Third party in those
States as whole see and proclaim the folly
OF this cry of negro supremacy. They do
directed by this political bug.a-boo any
longer. They are putting independent State
tickets in the fleld and nominating Third
party presidential electors. In some OF these
states the Republicans will run a complete
State ticket and their own electors, while in
others they may support the candidates of
the Third party. In North Carolina it is
probable that the Republicans will support
their own Presidential electors and the Third
party State ticket. Under these circum-
stances If q free vote and a fair count can be
and possibly OF five of these States should
be arrayed against the Democratic candf-
dates and some of them be favorable to the
Republican candidates.
Something to Think About.
In other words while the Democratic
party is endeavor.ng to carry certain West
ern States out of the Republican column-no
matter where, so long as they get them out
of the Republican column-the Republican
managers propose to give them something
to think about and to do in the States which
have heretofore formed their stronghold.
For these reasons great deal will be said
by the Democrats during the campaign,
particularly in the States mentioned, Of the
so-called force bill. Every effort will be
made to rouse dying race pref judices and pre-
serve the States to the Democratic party by
means of the strict drawing of The color
line. But It is not too much to expect that
enough whites in those States would refuse
to be mislead by this false cry to give a
different complexion to the political affairs
Every sensible man in the South know
that that bill If it had become law would
not have worked TO the injury of the white
people of the South nor in anyway have
taken the control Of their own affairs out
of their own hands, Nevertheless, every
Democratic orator and writer throughout
the entire South will howl and scribble
against the force bill and the terrific
dangers with which it threatens the beloved
Southland, not because they believe any
thing they say or write on the subject, but
it will prove "a good enough Morgan until
after election"
Rusk Not in the Line of Succession.
Most of your readers, perhaps, are of the
opinion that the Secretary OF Agriculture is
in the line of succession to the Presidency
in the event that there should be a vacancy
in the offices of both President and Vice
President. Such, however, is not the case,
At the time the present law regulating the
succession was passed, in January. 1885, the
head of the Agricultural Department was
in the list. When the act was passed giving
this head of the Agricultural Department
the title of Secretary and making him q
Cabinet officer nothing was said concerning
the succession, nor was anything done in
regard to it by the last Congress. Early in
this session of Congress q bill as intro
duced into the House by Mr.. Hatch, of Mis-
culture. adding the Secretary OF Agriculture
to the list of Cabinet officers, who are to
succeed to the Presidency in certain events.
This bill passed both Houses of Congress
and went to the President. There 1t was
discovered that by a singular oversight
nothing was said in the body of the bill as
to what particular act the bill was intended
resolution. Even here blunder was made
because the resolution adopted by the House
recalling the bill was simply a House resolu-
tion when 1t should have been q concurrent
resolution of both Honses. The bill was
finally returned to the House early lass May
and was Immediately raferred to the Com
mittee on the Judiciary, where it has since
not in the line of succession.