The herald., 1893-10-28
WHERE THE RESPONSIBILITY BE-
LONGS.

It would be useless to deny that the
Democratic party has received severe
blow in the vain struggle TO maintain
silver in its prestige as a money metal.
We might say that the great bulk of the
representatives and senators belonging
to the party were true to the principle
of their platform, which declared that
/ the parity of the two metals should be
maintained. But to what purpose? To
this would be replied that the Demo-
cratic party, having majority in both
houses. and the executive chair filed by
the choice of the organization, it is re-
sponsible for the legislation of the coun-
try. There is no answer to that which
would pass muster. Even If the repeal
I OF the purchase act had been accom-
panied by some concession to silver, the
position of the party would be defensible.
But in the face OF the fact that there is
tremendous Democratic majority in
the house and good working majority
in the senate, the small boon of even
compromise measure could not be agreed
to, what is the use of indulging in mean
ingless subterfuges? The party is re-
sponsble, and that is an end OF the mat
ter.
But who has forced the great Demo-
cratic organization into this humiliating
position? Senator Pugh spoke the
frozen truth when he laid the blame at
the door of Cleveland? That hesdstrong
and self-opinionated parsonage injected
the whole power of his dministration,
in an offensive and unprecedented man
ner into the controversy. He had cham
pioned the cause OF the Wall and Lom-
effective material OF which he was pos
sessed as president to influence the
weak Democratic representatives. to
abandon the cause of the people and
favor the cause of the money-changers.
He made unmistskabls outgivings with
reference to the government patronage
that acted like a charm upon the weak
and vacillating members who went to
congress pledged to rehabilitste silver.
He has stepped farther outside the con-
stitutional functions of his Office than
ever any American president did before
to control the free action of a coordinate
branch of the government.
Even when all but six Democratic
senators had agreed to support COM
promise measure that would have been
satisfactory to the party, he interposed
his objection aud rendered the effort
abortive. We have only one comment
to make upon this extraordinary conduct
of Mr.. Cleveland, and that is that he
would rather see his party disrupted
than to yield one iota of concession to
the silver sentiment of the west and the
south.
We shall soon see the consequence OF
this bull-headed policy. In the Pacific
states the party has received blow
which will greatly weaken its effective
ness in future campaigns; and in the
south it will be apt to split the organi-
zation into fragments. We may recover
from the disorganizing effects of this
extra eession OF congress by the wisdom
and popularity of the legislation which
may be passed at the regular sessions to
meet during the term OF the present ad
ministration; but the blow the party
has already received will leave behind
it scar that it will take long time to
heal.
Perhaps no greater calamity can be-
fall political organization than to have
man at its head who is conceited,
stubborn and unamensble to the voice
OF reason. When man who thinks he
knows it all is in love with his own
opinions and deaf to those of others, and
is withal invested with the tremendous |
power which attaches to the presidential |
Office. he can do more harm In minute
than he can rectify in years of wise and
conservative courses.