Middletown transcript., 1896-01-11
WHOSE THE REsPoNsrB1LrTYfl


Now that the Republicans havl
gotten control and organized thl
United States Senate they are trying K
disaVoW any responsibility for legisla
tion. Will they kindly inform tht
country which one of the minority
parties they would like TO have charged
with the responsibility. Since they
avoided any open coalition with tht
Popnlists but managed secret deal By
which they RETAINED from voting, pos.
sibly the Republicans have designed al
the authority to themselves and all re.
sponsibility for any mistakes made, to
the Populists because the latter per-
mitted them, to have the responsible
lity. ."-Seaford Ne,cs.
How extremely partisan is the above!
Before the Senate has time to act on
any measure the Democratic press ia
falling into it's old habits of fault-find-
ing. Let US analyze the criticisms of
the Ne,cs:
l. When and where have the Re-
publicans tried ssto .disavow any res
possibility for legislation9" The Ne,cs
has no proof to offer Of any such effort.
A single objection OH the part Of one
senator would have prevented a re-
organization of the Senate at the time
it was done. The Democrats did not
make tina. objection, showing very
conclusively that they were only too
anxious to turn over the responsibility
to other and Eore competent hands,
else Why was not the objection made?
2. What evidence is there Of any
coalition" "open" or otherwise?
The Republicans treated the Populists
in the organization Of the Senate just
as the Democrats had treated them two
years before when the Democrats took
charge of the committees. Does not
the Ne,rs know this? 1t should know
it. Was there coalition" then be-
tween the Democrats and the Populists
and was: Senator Gray party to it?
"They avoided any open coalition" and
'sthey refrained from voting"-who?
And how have the Republicans ''des-
ignated" all the authority to them
selves? Matters are trifle mixed, we
think, in the Ne,os brain shop.
But who should be ''charged with
authority" The men sent to Congress
by the people to legislate for them ire
spective Of party; there is too much
party and too little patriotism both in
and out of Congress. The Democratic
Party has not been able to legislate as
a party the past two years and we be-
lieve the country is better off because
of that fact. Now that the Silver
Senators and the Populists hold the
balance of power in the Senate there
should be less of the partisan spirit
among Democrats and Republicans.
Utah has been admitted to the union
and will soon send two Senators Repub-
licans, making ninety Senators in that
body. Of these A are Republicans, 80
are Democrats. and 6 are Populists,
with vacancy from Delaware. If Col.
dupont is seated still the Republicans
have not majority, AS VIce-PresideEt
Stevenson has the casting vote. The
utter absurdity and partisanship of the
Ne,cs is thus made apparent when it
talks of Republican responsibility in a
party sense in the Senate. It does not
exist. The plurality party has always
had the chairmanships Of the principal
committees in the Senate when there
was not a majority of any party. The
Party is the plurality party
and as such it can be relied upon to do
its duty.