The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-03

cratic and Republican parties Is that'
while one is the party OF the people ana
believes that the people should rule ana
..n,r u,,, should be respected. the other
has Away arrogantly acted as IL the re
nublican party owned he country, ana
that when the will of the people came III
conflict with that Of the Republican iean-
org the latter should prevail. This was
rlainlv exemplined by the d OF the
rIftieth and FIfty-frst Congresses, re-
snectively. The Fiftieth Congress was
Democratic In the Lower House and he-
nublican in the Upper. One of the great
no,nts of issue before the country at that
time was the admission into the Union
Of the Northwestern Territories OF WASH
incton. Dakota and Montana, n the
division OF Dakota into two States. The
Republican Senate favored these meas
ures. because thereby they expected to
receive eight accessions to their strength,
and the Democratic House opposed them,
because they contended that neither OF
these three Territories, with Dakota I'M
| divided, had the necessary population to
| entitle them TO the dignity Of Statehood.
The elections Of 1883 were held with this
question before the people, and the re-
suit was a great triumph for the Re
publicans, they electing their President
and a majority in each house OF Con-
gress. AS soon as Congress met in De-
cember succeeding these elections, the
Democrats at once bowed to the viii OF
the people. and withdrew all opposition
TO the division Of Dakota and the ad-
mission OF the four Territories. 1t is
true, the new States AVE not proven so
firmly Republican as the leaders Of that
party expected. Montana, at the outset,
elected two Democratic Senators. whose
seats the Republican Senate, following
the precedents Of their party. inconti-
nently stole, and at the recent election
both Wyoming and Montana nearly kicked
themselves out Of Republican traces.
Still, that did not alter the fact that the
Democrats consented to their admission,
although expecting 1t to be a serious blow
to them, because the people demanded
It.
Now let us look at the other picture.
The Fifty-frst Congress, immedi-
ately after its organization, pro-
ceeded first to strengthen its mea-
gre Republican majority in the
House by recklessly turning out a num-
Der Of Democrats regularly elected by
the people, and seating in their places
men reject at the polls, but needed
by the Republican leaders. Then began
the orgy Of extravaganza which has
made the name of the billion dollar Con-
gress Infamous in American history, and
among other things that it did was TO
institute a system OF even higher protec-
tion than that which had been established
by the Morrill, war tariff. Although the
people, the Republican majority
Of Congress knew, desired tariff reform.
they cared nothing for the people, because
they counted on building up a plutocracy
which they thought would enable them
to buy up elections at will. So, notwith-
standing that at the very first election
after they had started out on their wild
career the popular verdict at the polls
was overwhelmingly against them. they
persisted in the course they had started
on, and passed the Infamous Mckinley
robber tariff law. And not only this, but
when at the first session Of the Fifty
first Congress the Democrats sought to
cOnaUhaf raliava tho nannlafo hf1rdpnc
against which the popular clamor In
creased, the arrogant Republican Senate
refused to abate one iota of their robber
protective policy, and pigeon-holed the
bills of relief that the Democratic House
had passed.
We all know the result. Again, In 1892,
the people resented most emphatically
at the polls the insolence of the Republi-
can party in treating them with con-
tempt, and took from that party the little
remaining power it possessed.
Now what is the Republican Senate
going to do in the few days of life yet
left to it? VIII it recognize the popula
will and pass the tariff relief measures
Of the House, or will it still defy the peo-
pie? We are informed by leading Repub-
lican Senators that they will still be as
arrogant as ever, and will refuse to assist
In making these measures law. Well, let
them so act. The relief which the people
demand will be delayed. it is true, but
the Republicans will drive the last nail
In their own collins, and the country will
thereby eventually be immensely bene-
fitted.