Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-08-18
A PERTINENT QUERY.
IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY coMPE-
TENT TO HOLD POWER!

|
/ A Congress of Many Promises and Pew
Performances-A Striking and Unfs-
| vorabIe Contrast to Its Predecessor
! Two Exploded Party Cries
Is this a good party to intrust with
power-this. whose representatives in
congress in which they boasted of ma
jority of $50 are just now packing their
gripsacks and getting ready to meet
their constituents? They have been on
trial and on exhibition for eight months.
In three months more the people of this
country will be voting upon the question
whether they want another such con-
gress and an executive in sympathy with
| it: whether the party in whose name
these statesmen were elected and whose
principles they have been trying to carry
ont is entitled to a vote of confidence
and call to larger opportunities.
That is the test question in the COM
! ing election. And in that view of it the
duty of the conscientious voter is to take
at least hasty glance over what these
statesmen have been doing, or trying 70
do. for the last eight months; at the
record of the long session of this con
gress-a congress in which, with two
| thirds majority and unlimited power to
do or not to do whatever pleased them.
| they have no excuse for doing the things
they ought not to have done, or leaving
undone the things they ought to have
done.
If the mission of political parties is to
misrepresent opponents, raise false is
sues, excite the people by foolish appre-
| hensiols and groundless alarms, and
then. when intrusted with power on the
strength of vague promises, to go back
| on the promises and do nothing but
dodge the most important issues they
were expected to meet. and so keep up a
system of falsehood and deceit, then the
Democratic party is a success and th-
present congress its crowning glory;
| otherwise not.
In only one respect has this congress
fulfilled the promise of its election. We
| We're told that it would offer a contrast
to its predecessor-the Republican con-
gress of which Mr.. Reed was speaker.
1t certainly has. A more striking con-
trast would be difficult TO imagine. That
congress, elected upon fair and candid
presentation of the tariff issue to the
people, went straight to its work and
did it. 1t adopted rules under which
the majority could do business, and all
the clamor of the opposition and the
obstructive tactics of a factious minor
ity failed to swerve it one moment from
its purpose.
The initia step of the majority of the
present congress was to adopt rules
which should serve as an excuse for not
doing the business they were sent there
to do. The result is that they have done
nothing whatever of any serious i'm
portance of all the things they so loudly
promised two years ago. The one thing
theyL 70 succeeded in demonstrating is
their own inability to agree among
themselves upon any question of princi
pie or policy. They are at one among
themselves upon nothing except com
mon hostility to the Republicans. They
ARE II party of negations, without prin-
ciple or an idea upon which they can
unite and call their own.
The history of politics and parties
furnishes no such conspicuous and lam
entable failure as this party with $50
majority has made in attempting to deal
with the questions which it thrust into
the foreground as of the most vital con-
sequence in the CANVASS preceding the
election two years ago.
The two things most harped upon ther
We're, first, that the Mckinley tariff
would destroy the industries of the
country and bring distress upon the
masses by increasing the cost of living:
and second, that the country was on the
brink of financial ruin and bankruptcy
through the eXtravagant appropriations
of Republican congress. The robber
tariff and 1.-The billion dollar congress"
were the party cries.
One would suppose that party riding
into power with such an overwhelming
majority upon such issues would do
something in the direction of repeating
the tariff and cutting down appropria-
tions to attest its sincerity. 1t began
Will Ol liiC III anu iltio SOll-
cluded with offering practically nothing
but an amendment or two, and in the
matter of appropriations it has only sue
ceeded in making itself ridiculous by
quarreling over petty items while let
ting the big sums go through after lit
tie furry of opposition for appearances
sake.
Another question of the highest i'm
portance to the credit and financial pros
perity of the country they have success
fully evaded. For eight months this
$50 majority congress has been strug-
Cling to furnish a pretext for its exist
ence and a record to which it could
with some show of confidence appeal
for continuance of popular favor and
support. The record is pretty nearly
completed. Is any Democratic news
paper or orator pointing to it with pride:
And yet upon that record the party
must be judged. BY their fruits ye
Lhall know them. New York Tribune