The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-06-18
The People Moving.


very timely subject, begins an editorial
article as follows:
The defeat for denomination OF the non,
Clifton r. Breckenridge in Arkansas anu
tho Hon Jason B. Brown in lndlana-tWo
of the very abeSt and trueSt HloSt eApoii-
enced and efficient democrats in Congress
is pregnant with meaning, and, II 1t were
not too late might serve as at once d
warning and a suggestion to those OIL 'heii
colleagues and associates whose seats
trembe in the balance of dangerous oppo-
sition. 4,.
There was no charge that either or THESE
good men and true had perpetrated any
overt act of failing duty; that either had
violated his trust; that either had Deen IN
any way unworthy of seat IN congress-
1t was that tried by the average home
standards a majority of the people could
see no reason why they should be given
perpetuity or monopoly in the business
of representing their districts at Washing
ton and of limiting their suffrage to them
as against other claimants, who made
promises as fair and set up claims at least
equal to theirs in point of personal merit
1t was that, in a great public eXigency,
neither of them had fulfilled Il certain pub
lie expectation, which a great body or
their constituents felt they had right to
entertain and which, instead of being full
filled was disappointed. If they had met
this reasonable expectation, no rival, no
mower could have suppanted either of
them.
SO far so good. Up to this point the
statement of The Courier-J ournal adj
mits of no dispute. Mr.. Breckinridge,
Of Arkansas, and Mr. Brown, of lndi-
ana. have been rcpudiated by their con
stituents because lin great public ext
| gency neither of them had fulfilled a
| certain public expectation"
| 1t is only when our Louisville contem-
porary comes to explain the nature of
| the eXigency i'll which the two diStin-
| guished congressman failed to meet pub
| lie expectation, that it fails to state the
| obvious facts 1t says that when the
| Wilson bill was reported from the ways
| and means committee it was received
with amazement by disinterested and
| thinking democrats, and that this
| amazement soon took the shape of in
| dignation The bill remained a source
| of bitter disappointment, The Courier
| journal says, in spite of some mitigation
| that was obtained in the open house
| But to the lessening of this bitter dis
| appointment, neither Mr. Breckinridge,
| as true tariff refOrmer as lives, nor Mr..
| Brown, who is a good second to Mr..
| Breckenridge, contributed one word"
This gives cue to The Courier-Jour-
| nails explanation of the defeat of Mr..
| Breckenridge, of Arkansas, and Mr..
| e J,1 ND CHI lNot
our contemporary, in common with
| great many congressman and public
| men, is blind to the real issue that in
| fiuenced the constituents of McSSrs.
| Breckinridge and Brown to repudate
| them.
To what extent was the Wilson tariff
bill made an issue in the contest that
| has been going on in the districts rep
resented by Congressman Breckenridge
| and Congressman Brown? 1t was hard
| ly mentioned. The record of both con-
gressmen as tariff reformers is unm-
peachable. Neither has ever wavered,
and both have been loudly and earnestly
in favor of a political combination of
| the south and west to defeat the plans
and schemes of the protected monOpo-
lists of the east. Nothing whatever
could be said against either of these CON
gressmen, and if the tariff question had
been the main issue in the primary con
test, both Mr. Breckenridge and Mr..
Brown would have been unanimously
renOminated by the democrats of their
districts.
This being so, we are forced to the
conclusion that the editor of The COu-
rier-Journal is deliberately closing his
eyes to the real cause of the defeat Of
| these two congressman in their efforts
to secure q denomination. Under the
circumstances, we feel it to be our duty
to call attention to the facts in the case,
so that no congressman who is seeking
a denomination, and no ambitious poll
tician who desires to represent the peo