The age-herald., 1900-04-10
EMPTY DEMOCRATIC
 SEATS IN CONGRESS

Under the caption of Democratic Ab-
 sentees," the Washington Post of Satur-
 day has the following to say:
 Tt would be interesting to know just
 what idea democratic friends at the
 capital entertain as to the purposes for
 which they have been sent to congress
 Looking back over the events of the past
 few weeks we find much to warrant this
 inquiry but very little to answer it-at
 least, in a manner creditable to the gentle
 men in question. More than one measure
 regarded by the democrats-and justly SO
 as iniquitous has escaped defeat through
 their own delinquency The unseatings ol
 Hon. William A. Young of the Second dis trict of Virginia would have been impos-
 sible had the members of his own party
 remained at their posts of duty. The same
 may be said of the Aldrich- Robbins case. and the same is demonstrably true of the
 Porto Rican tariff bill when it was first voted in the house.
 "The test vote-the vote on the minority I report which declared that Mir. Young
 was entitled to his seat-showed 12S ayes ana lj2 nays. This was a majority of only
 four There were present twelve who de- clined to vote, and there were absent sev- enty-nine. It was notorious that a large
 number of republicans remained away be-
 cause they could not conscientiously vote
 to unseat Mr Young. Had the democrats
 been on hand, as they should have been MT. Young would have been confirmed il 1 his seat. Why were they not? Public l opinion will refuse to justify them on the l plea that they were paired. Public opin- | ion will hold that they were not made con- gressman in order that they might pail 1 with republicans who oppose a party | measure and yet would like to keep their | records clear by pairing. Under the | operation of such an arrangement, the | majority may commit the most detestabe | infames and republican protestants salve 1 their conscience by pairing" with com plaisant democrats. It is not the business of democrats to help republicans out of awkward predicaments. And vice versa. 1 They are supposed to have a mission in l congress-that of antagonizing measures 1 which their party regards as mischievous | and objectionable. Can it be said that
 they fulfill this mission in good faith when they deliberately relax their vigiI- l ance and withhold their votes?
 What is true of the Young-Wise contest l is true also of the Robbns-AIdrich con- | test. Two democratic members were l ejected and two republicans installed in | their places by democratic connivance | pure and simple.
 l Now we come to the Porto Rican tariff | bill It may not be remembered, but the 1 fact is that the test vote in that case-the l vote to recommit the< bill-disclosed re- l publican majority of enly ten-1n to 16l. | It is well known that the two New Or leans members, Messrs. Meyer and Davey,
 both democrats, would have voted with | their party had there been the smallest | prospect of defeating the measure. That would have made the republican vote 169 1 and the democratic vote 165-a majority | of only 6. If the two democrats who paired with Messrs. farmer and Boutelle | neither of whom could possibly have | been present-had remained in their seats | and voted with their party, the figures l would then have been-republicans, 169; democrats, 165--a majority of only four! | And, looking over the list of those "ab- l sent" or mot voting," it is easy to
 how that deplorable bill could have been l defeated altogether if only the demo- cratic members had resolutely discharged l the duty expected of them by their con- stituents.
 l "The people at large understand very lit- l tie, if anything, of these details. They | read with pride the mellifuous speeches | of their representatives, benevolently ] disseminated by the Congressional Rec
 ord and they find comfort and assur- ance in the thought that their congress-
 men are here at the front amid the fire l and smoke of conflict, raging in the red l vortex of the battle, and striking furious l and stark blows for the hallowed cause. | It seems to us, however, that little light
 should be shed upon this matter. So We l Sb al