The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-02-28
Eepublican., Turn Vow.

Republicans in this Congress must ieel
themselves in q very painful position
before the people. One of the favorite
reproaches against the Democracy dur
ing the last Congress was that Of i'm
potency. The party was said 10 have no
po.icy, no cohesion. no leadership. no
power to realize it's pledges or carry out
any set of IDEAS which might be said to
be representative.
And yet, il did as a matter of unde-
niable fact accomplish several notable
results. Il repealed the Federal Elec-
ton law. 1t abolished the bounty on
sugar. 1t mustered enough votes, with
Republican help. to kill the silver mon
ster thai was sucking the life blood OF
the Treasury. Finally, it passed a
tariff bill, which. If not quite the ideal
of advanced tariff reformers. sim repre-
sents from sixty to seventy+ive per
cent. of their desires, and about the
same proportion of the ante-election
pledges of Grover Cleveland's sup
porters.
This record is or is not a good one. ac-
cording as you choose to look at it: but
ii certainly hin by comparison with
thai which the Republicans are making
in this Congress. 1t is something dein-
lite. tangible. positive in character and
not inconsiderable in quantity against a
great big empty cipher. In a word. the
Republican party is finding out that in
the present state of our politics, the CO.
h~esiveness of a party out of power,
whose only business in life is to criti-
cize and oppose, is a very different thing
from the clash of interests and opinions
in a party which has a nominal ma
jority, and is responsible in its own and
the public eyes for some sort of positive
action. BY this time, there is a pretty
general realization that a party has
great merit which does anything at all.
and that whatever its differences and
divisions in matters of detail, there must
be some unity Of conviction, purpose and
conscience controlling it's members.
1t is not unlikely. If one could read the
secrets of hearts. that Mr.. Thomas b..
Reed and the other shrewd politicians of
the G. o. P. are by this time bitterly re-
gretful of their glorious victory last fall
The power which it conferred upon them
going no further han to demonstrate to
the people that they are the impotent
party, they are the party of hopeless and
irreconcilable divisions. and. above all.
they are the party so far in the grip of
the most vicious financial element. that
they can hope to accomplish no results
whatever without bartering away the
credit. of the Nation to free silver.
In the great feud which has broken
out in the ranks of Republication. there
il norddubt whatever hat the silver SEN
ators have the right--as a mere matter
Of party organization. When the Chair
man Of the Republican National Com
1nittee tells Senators that they are de-
liberateIy misconstruing the Platform of
the party, he speaks by the card. If he
had gone on to say that they were out
raging the vital principle of Republican,
ism. Protection, he would have spoken
with equal truth. He may be wrong in
his statements hat the majority of the
citizens, who voted the Republican ticket
iast fall, want free silver; but he is not
half so wrong as Senator Hosr, Mr..
Reed, Mr.. Dinghy or any other leader
who asserts that a majority Of the people
desire a return to McKinleyism.
The Senator's from the East. we are
told, were indignant at Mr.. Carter's at
upon them. BY what right? They
pare clamoring at the doors of Congress
for protection for cottons. for wool, for
woliens, for pottery ware. for what not
That is to say. they want the Govern
ment to intervene to raise the prices Of
these things, perforcs, no matter whi
may pay the cost. The silver men ask
Just this and no more for their commod-
ity. They ask the Government to step ir
and force up the price of silver, letting
the burden fall on whom it may. There
is no economic or moral difference be
tween the two groups. But the Eastern
Protectionist puts on airs of s~anctit5
when his Western ally wants to get hi.
steal lega1ized. The Western thief tears
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