New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-13
TIE NEW KIND or GOyERNMENT.

Various kinds Of government have been tried
10y the human race The first may be called
that Of physical force. The man Of power, the
man able to beat anybody else in brute con-
Gict. was the King, or the Man Who Can. as
Mr. CARLYLE not seldom more cpigrammatc
than accurate used To say. Then came other
kinds Of government by the score, and when
one after another had proved inadequate, self
government came. the enforcement of the
common sense Of most and was considered the
worlds last and best hope. But now appears
new kind-govcrnmcnt by physical cndur-
ancc. II Is something like a return 10 the stone
age Tho stout Senator who can thrash his
opponent on the floor is prevented by the
march Of civilization. The able Senator who
can oycrpOwcr his opponent i'll reason argues
and pleads in vain. The will Of the millions
who elect Senators Is mpotent. The majority
in the Senate Is defeated by its rules. Govern
incnt now turns upon the power OF the minor
ity to tire out the ma jority to live with less
sleep and less eating. SO that the typical Amcrl
can Of the period should be- DR.. Tanner, who
beat the world in fasting.
Certain Democrats fail to appreciate this new
form Of government, as il blocks their pur
poses They forget that il was an invention
Of their own For many years the Republican
Nation found in n Republican Senate the cX
preston of its will. Shifting fukcs when there
Is no wind sometimes defeat the better yacht
and fcklencSs and lazincss sometimes sent
to the House majority not in harmony with
the deliberate policy Of the Nation But in the
Senate the same strong and steady wind of I'M
shaken purpose worked ont the will which
the conviction and conscience of the people
had shaped. Then the Democratic party set
out TO defeat that will. Unable to oulvotc the
majority, Democratic Senators rcsortcd 10
physical endurance. They could llibuscr in
definitely, resisting measures which the Nation
wished, AMI the rule Of the Senate made the
ma jorty powcrlcSs when the minority was
willin. and determined To defeat ii by sheer
endurance Of fatigue. Men who know anything
Of public affairs do not need 10 be reminded
how often great measures which were essen
tial to the success of the Nations policy were
thwartcd by Democrats in the Senate. They
were only Il minority, and yet they dclicd the
ma jorty 10 force them 10 a vote. In those
days Democrats treated with scorn the arglI
mcnt that the majority ought To rule. Yes, if
it can in accordance with the traditions of the
Senate" they answered Appeals To their
patriotism were utterly wasted. When Rcpub
leans proposed 10 modify the rules. not de-
prvng the minority of any rightfu power, but
reasonably limiting its veto, the Democrats
shrickcd against the tyranny of supprcssing
debate" and declared that they would light the
year out stop all legislation and block the
wheels of government, before they would suffer
the rules To be changed.
Measures OF the highest importance to the
welfare Of the Nation were thus defeated
Largely in consequence of those defeats, and
the displcasurc which the people felt because
their wishes were not carried into effect by the
majority charged with the responsibilities of
government. there finally came Il change. TO
the Democratic party was intrlstcd opportunity
10 see what 1t could do And now grave Dem
ocratic Senators who ought in very shame 10
remember their own conduct in times past. are
cxccratng minority for doing just what they
also had done repeatedly. They call down upon
that minority the wrath Of public ccnsurc. ms
if they had forgotten that their own rebellion
against the reasonable rule of the ma jority had
nj last brought them the power to govern. They
rave and plead. 10 no end. Exactly rs they de-
spscd all appeals to courtesy, others are doing
the same. II they talk Of closure, q minority