The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-10-03
SENATOR moRGAN's ERRORS.

the first place ne SeTNeu AiO"S"N-N
war In the thiclkest Of the fray as a Con-
federate soldier and came out OF II as
general officer covered with honors won
on the field OF battle. This fact brings
all those who have his record close 10
our heart. He is a frank, manly impet-
nous man, with a passion for justice ana
a lofty scorn for everything petty serviie
or mean. And he is not man OF ordinary
abilities. There is no better, clearer or
more forcible taker in the United States
Senate. But with ali the elements of
character which justly give him power
ful hold on all men with whom he is
thrown into contact, he has nevertheless
q peryersity Of mind that leads him with
absolute certainty into error on pretty
nearly as many public questions as he
gets right on. We have not now before
our mind his heresies concerning silver.
There are so many other sensible men
on all other subjects who have lost their
minds on this, that we have ceased under
taking to explain to ourselves the phe-
nomenon. The case reminds us Of a very
foolish family OF boys. A gentleman,
speaking Of them, said mat the family
accounted for Tom by his having fallen
down the steps when very young and
having cracked his head; and Bill was ac-
counted for by having been frightened
out OF his wits when a child by a ghost.
and SO on of several others; but. as for
Dick, they had never been able to ac-
count fer him at all. He seemed to be a
natural born fool. We do not, Of course,
mean to say that all free silverites are
natural born fools. We mean only that it
is impossible to account for this crack
in the brain OF some Of them.
But Senator Morgan has the faculty
for getting wrong more strongly develop
ed than most other men. He was one
Of the two Americans cut OF the seven
arbitrator on the Behrlng Sea case. All
OF the European arbitrators held that
we had no exclusive rights In Behring
Sea, and John NJ. Harlan, his co-arbi-
traitor, justice OF the SUPP enc Court OF
the United States, whose business 1t has
been for more than fifteen years to hear
and decide causes on their merits, was
compelled by the force Of England's
case, and by the common consent Of in
teiigent men all over the world, to con-
cur with the Eurouean arbitrators. But
Senator Morgan stood out alone for the
case this government had so absurdly
made On Friday last he made a speech
In the Senate, in which he got as far
wrong and as often wrong as he has
had the luck 10 do any time Of late. He
denounced the press OF the country, for
instance, that demands the repeal Of the
Sherman act, as "a licentious and hire
ling press" What could be more absurd
than this? Take The Times for instance.
Who supposes that any respectable news
paper is bribed TO make this demand?
They argue for It, as we believe every
one thinks, because they are firmly con-
WINGED the public interests require it.
Again, he charged with all his force on
those who argue that our money should
have a regard 10 the money systems OF
those other countries with which we trade
He said this argued that we are a mere
dependency Of Great Britain. But this
IS very absurd 1t is obvious that II We
do not have money that bears a pro-
| per relation 70 the money OF those coun-
| tries with which we trade, we shall
| always have TO pay for exchange, and
| this entails very heavy loss upon us,
| besides bringing on us all the penalties
| that inhere in doing business with money
that processes by its name to be one
| thing, but is In reality something much
| less valuable.
But his greatest error was In his esti-
mate OF the position and character Of
United States senator. He said OF the
Senate: This is an arena in which
have the honor to be one OF the am
! bassadors of a sovereign State" We
| shall never concede this doctrine TO Mr.
| Morgan. 1t is the EXTREMIST claim of the
most ultra school of the ante-beiium
secessionists. 1t considers the States as
| independent powers who send their i'm
perial representatives to foreign court
! TO treat there with another foreign power
| Of what concerns the interests and
welfare OF the power whose commissions
| they hold We should never at any time
| have agreed TO any such doctrine as
this. We have always maintained that
| the States when they entered into the
| Union reserved right to withdraw from
| Il If the compact of Union was bro
ken, and we insist to-day that that
was the intention OF the Constitution
| when the Union was formed. But we
are forever stopped TO assert that
doctrine in the future because when we
were conquered on the battlefield, and
| at the mercy of our conquerors, our fu-
| ture existence as States was granted
TO us upon condition that we would never
again assert the right TO secede. We are
therefore, barred from asserting the
terms Of our old contract by the new
contract which we made at Appomat-
tox. This new agreement then, forever
prevents MIR. Morgan from setting up
the claim that Alabama IS an inde-
pendent power that sends ambassadors
| to = foreign government called the United