New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-25
The Legislature will not escape severe censrr'
II 1t fails.
E4JLOTS AGAINST NOES.


"A petition with boots on" disturbs President
Cleveland. He would he perfectly 1ustlhed I'D
prohibiting invasion of the District Of Columbia
by any body Of mel trying 10 overcome III"
EXPRESSED will If the people at elections by I'M
lawful means. just as President Grant WIS
justified in prohibiting invasion of the DISTRICT
in 1877. when Democrats Of the west propoSed
70 come-lO0O00 Strong-to seat by force the
candidate they bad failed to elect by fraud, so
the President would 'oday be justified in using
all the power Of the United States In arreS'lhG
any movement clearly against the spirit OF free
institutions But perhaps an uncomforiaDlc
consciousness that his policy and party nave
denied work 10 the army Of the uncmpioye"'
and have caused the widespread unrest OF laDor'
leads him TO use the Commissioners OF the DIS
trict as his mouthpiccc for n warning when
would have come with far more propricty ana
dignity from the President himself.
When Mr. Coxey states the motive Tor MS
march he confcsscS that il Is an attempt To sci
aside the Constitution and laws OF the tnlted
States He boasts that the petition with boots
on cannot be piGconholcd. but il Is the rlght
Of the peoples Representatives. duly chosen by
the ballots of majority TO pigeon the pro
tests and petitions Of n minority. giving 10 thcm
ONLY such consideration rs their rcasoningS may
anpcar 10 deserve The POpulists, whom Mr..
Coxey Processes 10 represent. cast 1Oi2.6}l
votes in 1892. while 11.0l3.7Gl votes were east
for candidates OF other parties. one man III
twelve can stop Il verdict by jury. brt one
voter in twelve cannot nullify the majority mt
lawful election. The petition with boots
on" Mr. Coxcy openly avows. is intended to
compel Congress 10 adopt "our laws"-thc meas
uics which one voter III twelve prefers. II Is
not rcoulrcd under our free government. that
another army eleven times rs large rs that OF
Mr. Coxcy should march 10 Washington on he
half Of the ma ority in order 10 give force 10 lis
ballots The election lodged power with the
peoples chosen representatives. and the ''pcti-
lion with boots on" IS nothing but an unlawful
attempt to set aside The elections by the people
This statement If tie case does not conroycrt
the fact that ut later elections in 1893 and This
year the people themselves have plainly modi
fled their decision In 1892. TO their votes Con
grcSSmcn have a right 10 pay attention, but not
10 unlawful mObs. II happens that the recent
elections have only increased greatly the ma
ioritv against the POpnliSt ideas. In seven
States In which about Il third Of the entire voi"
Of the country Is east. these elections nave
shown change Of 144,OO0 votes from the Dem
ocratIc and PopuliSt parties to the Republican.
cutting down pluralltieS against the Republican
party about 2NS0OO and similar changes in
other States would give IT an Overwhelming
majority The vote In favor of the Pop,llist
idea has weakened. and heavy vote has been
transferred from the Democratic 70 The Ecpnb
lican policy That fact Congress may well con
slider when deciding what the people actually
wish. But II Ia, not Il right 10 consider The
clamor Of an Unauthorized gathering which. ~
The utmost represents less than twelfth Of
the voters.
II may be- said with some truth that the Dem
ocralc vote was in pert actuatcd 10y the same
ideas and purposes in 1892 which Tie PopEl''-
avow. and that it, President and majority ~
its congressman have in fact surrendered in
part to the Populist ideas This only proy'~
that the Democratic party obtained it's success.
in 1872 10y false prctcncc~. II pretended 10 have
principles which were M war with those it is
now adopting Parity FOR that reason the pcopl"
are turning against il. ana against 10, PopuliSi
alliance with overwhelming mljoriiics. The
fraudulent prclcncr in l>.2 WAS itself a confess
sion that the Democratic party had no hope ~
success II II avowoi PopuliNi theories. and the
mai ority II then falsely obtained has been re-
vcrscd in elections since he fraud WAS exposed
50 much the less has the PopulSt minority any
right 10 nullify all the elections los petition
with boots on" \ lawlc-s mob. 10 bring about
a more abjcct surrender 81 The eleven -twclfths
to the onc-twclfth than was mad" possible 10y
the false prctcnccS ~ lN.i2. IS exactly what Mr..
Coxcy proposes Bur he viii find that Nh"
American ,KcpuLlic is not yet governed in that
WAY