New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-14

who. II they chose TO make the sacrifice Of their
time and business, might easily exercise power
full influence upon the public proceedings But
they don't so choose. Their conduct is nothing
less than betrayal of public trust and the sur
render they make to the dominant, wing Of their
party is abject ana complete.
Nobody can be important In the House of Rep
resentatives because he is important at home.
Wealth, social position. high-sounding names,
distinguished careers at the bar. or in business.
none OF these of itself can give man strength
in the House. They all help but close daily at
! tention to business Is the first essential. This
results from the fact that the House is large
body that the business of the country Is vast
| and highly diverse in character that man must
| be Of service to other interests than his own IL
| he is going to obtain help for his interests; that
| In order to be useful to other interests he must
| understand them. and 1t takes a great deal Of
time and study to understand them: that the
procedure of the House, developed by century
of experience. while simple enough to those who
know IL. is infinitely intricate and utterly per-
picking to those who do not, and that the only
way OF mastering it is by watching 1t closely
during every hour of every day. 1t is often
marked that man has to be here at least one
Congress before he is equipped to serve his con-
sttuency effectively. This is quite true and the
reason is found In what has just been said about
! the diverse character OF the public business and
| the intricate machinery by which II Is done The
| general business of the Nation Is accomplished
! through the appropriation bill to almost all Of
| which are annually added new chapters Of legis
| lation. There are dozen or fifteen OF them.
and until man has examined each and has
watched its passage through the House and has
| listened TO the debate on the new legislation, ne
really doesn't understand the affairs of his
country He can come here a great scholar a
profound economist and eminent jurist. but he
/ will always find fifty a hundred other men
sitting around him. every one OF whom knows the
country and its affairs far better than he does.
Northern men who as rule, possess great
executive ability and are accustomed to deal with
large affairs with CELEBRITY and dispatch are al
ways impatient Of the conditions they find here.
They powerless to change them and they
don't know how to work under them. And SO.
after making a feeble little squirt at II, their
visits TO the House become less and less frequent,
and finally they come only when a matter is up
| in which they have a special interest and think
| it important to make speech or to record their
votes.
This completes the advantage OF the South In
its control of its party. Its representatives. are
not only present when the House Is sitting, put
they attend the committee meetings with great
regularity and II is In the committee rooms. be
1t understood that the legislation OF the country
is shaped. Very little happens on the floor or
the House which has not been decided upon by
three or four Southern gentlemen sitting to-
gether as a majority of majority OF given
committee. OF themselves. or on matters or
singular Importance. after conference with the
Speaker who may or may not take the sense or
other Southern leaders. they make a bill ana
bring II into the House. When II Is on the
calendar Il has become for all intents and pur-
poses the sense of the Democratic party. FOR
1t is offence against the party for Demo
crat to vote against IT, He does so, II at all. at
the peril of all the legislation in which he Is
interested. If he undertakes to amend 1t he
must do so through the committee. That Is. by
inducing his party friends In the committee 10
offer his amendment as committee amend
ment Precisely the same reasons which make
bill thus presented. though entirely the work OF
fAts Coz thorn
as much a Democratic measure az II full
Democratic caucus had deliberated and resolved
uTon It, operate to force the Republican minority
into the position OF antagonists.
This explanation will suffice to show the fact
that the record OF this Congress. go far as 1t has
gone Is an expression Of the Will and character
OF the Southern Democracy. 1t has not In
truth. accomplished anything. but that only
shows that practical incompetency Is an I'M
portant phase OF their character. II has been
parsmonlous and at the same time sectional
The expenditures OF the country have been cut
down. not by the elimination Of unnecessary
things. but by reductions In those necessary
annual appropriations for which they know that
the next Congress will be compelled 10 make
up by deficiency bills. They understand TINS
perfectly well. and they calculate that this
course will give them the appropriations they
require for their section. while enabling them
TO point to a sum total Of appropriation less
than the next Congress VIII have 10 provide
Then they can reproduce their old howl about
the billion dollar Congress" And this Is an
other phase of their character
They Free Traders and they do not NJ all
conceal their satisfaction at the probable erect
Of the Tariff bill they expect to pass In breaking
down the manufacturing Industries OF the North.
They thoroughly believe that these Industries
have been built UP at their expense. They point
to the fact OF low values In agricultural products
as a full explanation OF agricultural depression
in their States, Needless OF the fact that the
values Of all lines Of manufacture have fallen IN
direct proportion and often greater proportion
with the fall OF agricultural values. they are
Free Silver people because they have a queer
idea that so cents worth OF money can be made
to pay 100 cents worth Of debt. and they are Inc
debtors Their minds are closed to the consi1era-
ton that II must also In that event be made 10
pay for 100 cents worth Of labor. They faVor
law to interfere with the system OF trading by
which the agricultural products OF the country
marketed on the great exchanges. because
they think that II will strike blow at the
mOney-makng opportunities OF Northern specu-
lators. individually. they are men OF aphi,y'
but as a corporation. they are dull. individually,
they are often liberal and enlightened, patrionc
and just. But as corporation they are sec
tional vindictlve and hot with prejudice rs
corporation they look upon the prosperity or the
North with the same feelings and sentiments
that animated Alaric in the havoc OF Rome lndl-
vldually. they are generous. warm hearied.
fraternal Each means well by the country: but
back OF them all is the same old spirit OF re-
venge II will never die away until the South is
divided II will never die away until popular
elections have been restored 1t will never end
until men come here from Southern consttu-
encies. responsible not to a general race prelu-
dice but TO the sentiments OF their particular
constituencies the great national questions or
the day. SO long as there remains In congress
a body Of 11S men. brought here. not by the
free and open participation or the people OF tner
communities In the proceedings Of an election,
chosen not with reference to the general condi-
lions OF the country and to the policies that can
be relied upon to make 1t prosperous ana great.
but solely for the purpose of holding one race or
men in subsection to another. and OF Keeping
their own race together on that issue. just 20
long will the spirit which has directed the WORK
OF this Congress remain all-powerful In the
Democratic party. And it will make no dner-
ence so far results are concerned, what may
he the spirit Of Northern Democracy, or who