The herald., 1893-02-19
PARTY SPIRIT MoDERATING.

voluntarily taken himself out of the
sphere of public life, as is the case with
the Hon. George F. Edmurds, have a
value as unique contributions to current
opinion. In the course OF the only
speech that gentleman has ever made in
this section he expressed the belief that
it would be very hard from their atti-
tude on many public questions to dis.
cover to what party the men who make
our laws in the congress OF the United
States belong.
This remark was 30 opposite as to
range it under the category of wit. 1t
was also 80 true and luminous as to call
for its grouping under the head of wis
dom as well. To illustrate its force it is
only necessary to cite recent division
in the house OF representatives, in
which nearly equal ratio in numbers
of both OF the great national parties
were on one side and the other on the
silver issue. The fact ia that party tie,
are beginning to sit loosely on many
men who have heretofore been staunch
partizans. In high place this lightness
of party obligations has been illustrated
by President Hsrrison's appointment of
Judge jackson, a Democrat, to posi-
tion on the supreme bench of the
United States, and Of Judge Gresham,
till the other day Republican, as Sec
retary of state of the United States, to
date from the 4th of March next.
This diminished force of party ties has
also been shown by the action OF the
United States senate. When it was
sought to pass the force bill that meas
ure was defeated by Republican sena-
tors, the Pacific coast Republican sena-
tors, in the persons of Leland Stanford,
John P. Jones and William M. Stewart,
being in the lead.
And yet it can scarcely be said that
parties as at present constituted show
many signs OF abandoning the old shib-
boleths. at least before the people. The
Republicans are, it is true, in a bad
way. The Populist crusade in the north
west has disintegrated that of old time
powerful organization in sections where
it WAS once and for many years practi-
cally supreme. But there are many
elements of recuperation even in the Re-
publican party. Strange as it may seem,
large numbers of the Populists really
supposed they had chance of winning
the last presidential election. General
Weaver told his followers at Hazards
pavilion in this city that he was goin g
to be elected president, and nine out of
ten of them believed him. That belief
was largely instrumental in getting him
the vote he received. People can rarely
be deceived twice by the same bald pre-
tense. The Populist movement has
reached its perihelion. The only chance
the party ever had Of cutting any con-
siderable figure in the election OF 1892
hinged upon whether Gen. James B.
Weaver should be shot at some place in
the south, HIS death would have given
factitious strength to his party, and
might have produced unexpected re-
suits. But the southern people, with
admirable good sense, knew how to rein
in their Hotspurs, and the danger was
really only in the Imagination of news
paper men.
On the whole, it is pleasant to know
that there is a marked abatement oi
party acerbities. But we have by no
means reached the stage that prevailed
twice in the history OF the United States.
The first was in the case of Washington
Nobody cared to dispute the universal
acclaim which greeted the father of his
country. Jefferson himself held in his
followers as long as the august Wash
ington cared to figure at the head o.
| American affairs. There was second
period of political beatituds at the sec
ond election of Monroe, but it was O.
very short duration.
1t is pretty safe to assume that there
will be plenty of psrtzan activity ant
bitterness in the years to come. The
presence of the Quays, Platts and Clark
sons of the Republican party will assure
that, even if there were not radical diff
ferences on the tariff, on finance and OF
Capitalization versus states rights, Il
keep the old organizations intact. II
must be admitted, however, that tn,
Democratic party has largely made con
verts of its opponents on the question:
arising out of the relations of the state
to the central power at Washington
They have achieved in this respect
signal triumph in the supreme court o
the United States, which has gradu
ally but surely settled into Demo
cratic methods of interpreting tn
national constitution. The entombmen
of Harrison's force bill, for which Lodg,
was sponsor in the house and Hosr il
the senate, sounded the knell of the oil,
"bloody shirt" Rspublicanism. Th,
feebleness of the echoes to Clsrkson'
wild bsrbaric yawp anent the appoint
ment of Judge Jackson shows hov
deeply buried beyond all hope of posi-
BILE resurrection is the old feeling G
sectionalism.
For these and all other favors we ar
deeply grateful.