The Portland daily press., 1893-07-18
PLENTY OF LEADERS,
But a Woful Lack Of leadership in
the Democratic Majority.
THE ADMINISTRATIONS FRIENDS
LAMENT In SECRET.

In the Extra Session, Even Pop Gun Tariff
BILLS will Have Poor Show, and the
Fight Over the Money Question VIII Be
Bitter One-Democrats Know This
Hence the Lament.
NEW YORK, July IA Washington
despatch to the Tribune says:
1t is not strange that the mora
thoughtful and earnest friends of the ad-
ministration privately lament and give
expression to their anxiety and misgiy-
ings on account OF the woful lack of
strong and capable Democratic leader
snip in the House ofRepresentatives but
the party is no worse off now than it
was in the last Congress when the ma
Jority was split into hostile factions. and
so-called leaders suddenly sprang to
the front one day to be as suddenly sent
to the rear and reduced to the ranks
next day. The Democratic party has
had superabundance of such leaders
IN the House ever since the reinS were
wrested from the grasp of Samuel j.
Randall, the last Democrat in Congress
who was able to control and drive the
wild horses of a Democratic majority.
The factional bitterness engendered by
his defeat slowly disappeared, but its
place has been filled, and more than
filled, by other factional differences and
personal feuds and jealousies.
There has been no lack of leaders,
but an almost complete absence of lead
ership. Even in the last Congress. when
Dnmoeratc Or1tp,1 pa hnrad tlo;,,
opponents nearly four to one, the major
ity was unable to accomplish anything
except by general consent or brute force.
During the entire Congress the Demo-
Gratis could agree among themselves in
regard to only two things: First. they
were unanimously opposed to the adop-
ton, in any form, of the substance of the
Freed rules which allowed the major
ity that was responsible for legislation
to legislate; second; they were unani-
mously in favor of free trade revision
OF the tariff, and they dropped their FAM
lily quarrels long enough to rush Spring
er's 'pop-guno tariff bills through the
House under suspension of the rules,
The Democratic majority in the incom-
ing House will not be so large-not large
enough to force through any tariff legis-
latlon under suspension of the rules, for
to be rs harmonious on. that question ais
it was in the Lid Congress-and the
prospect is that there will be a bitter
Democratic factional fight over the pro
position to adopt rules which will allow
the majority to control the business of
the House.
The tight among Democrats over the
money question promises to be even
more bitter and stubborn than it was in
the last Congress, when such Democratic
leaders as Bynum, who now publicly
sneers at s'Silverites," and Crisp, who
like Brer Rabbit now keeps exceedingly
quiet whenever he hears silver men
rioned, and Mills, McMillin and the
Breckinridges were voting with Bland
for free coinage, against the protests
drew Bacon, Bourke, Coo sran, Fellows,
Coombs, Tracy, Warner and George
Frederick Williams. In the incoming
Congress, of course, the old Democratic
Flea ders,'' few of whom have been
mentioned, will be heavily reinforced
by large number of new leaders and
as has already been indicated, some of
the free coinage leaders of the .'hon-
est money faction in the LIIId Con-
grees, but the fact will remain that the
maj ority, as whole, will be sadly lack
ingin leadership. Some OF the Free
Traders, who know how necessary, in
deed vital, capable and aggressive leader
ship is to the success of any measure in
the House of Representatives, already
realize this fact
The majority is not strong enough to
carry any party measure by more force
of numbers under the gag rule and by
twO-thirds vote, and wise and ski1ful
parliamentary mqnananopt will tIara
fore be required. No dispassionate OBJ
server surveying the field can discover
Democratic leader capable of that sort
of management Democrats even have
been unable to discover him. They
seem to be rather unanimous in the be-
lief that Springer will not do. A very
strong Democratic faction dislikes Nc
Millin, and distrusts his ability both as
parliamentarian and tariff REFORM
statesman. Many Democrats complain
that Wilson lacks force, nerve and ply
sical stamina, and object that Bynum
possesses too much Of all these qualities
to be successful IN a tedious tariff de-
bate, involving multitude of INTRICATE
and perplexing details, while Breckin-
ridge, of Kentucky, depends too much
on his ''silver tongue" and is sadlyIde-
ficient in both parliamentary knowledge
and practical Information. Of course
every one of the men whose names have
been mentioned land the same may be
truthfully said of score of other 'lead-
ers'), believes that he is thoroughly
armed ond equipped and could lead the
Free Trade host to victory if he had the
chance, and he seriously distrrsts the
ability of any other Democrat in the
House to do the same thing.