The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-08
WITHOUT A LEADER.

WITHOUT \ LtSADEhs
The Washington correspondent of the
New York World asserts that the Demo-
Gratis in Congress are without a leader.
! He mentions those who pretended 20 be
leaders in the last Congress. and points
! out wherein each one OF them failed.
1t seems to us that the Worlds corre-
spondent is not disposed to treat the Dem
ocrats fairly. There are some able Dem
ocrats in both the House and the Senate.
In the Senate, as at present constituted,
Morgan, Bacon. Vest and a half a dozen
others are worthy of being mentioned
along with the very ablest of the Repub-
lican senators. 1t may be that they are
not as shrewd managers in political af-
fairs as two or three of the Republican
senators who manage for the administra-
ton but it must be remembered that the
Democrats are in the minority. and the
management required Of them is not the
kind required of the administration lead
ers.
1t cannot be denied that they handled
the fight against the ship-subsidy bill with
consummate ability. Senator Clay was
in charge of the forces which opposed that
bill, and he displayed good generals hip
so good that the bin never reached
vote. All through the last session Sena-
tor Bacon was thorn In the side OF the
Republicans. There is no doubt that he
kept the Democratic position on the va
rious questions that were before the SEN
ate so clearly before the country that the
people knew all the time exactly what
was going on.
The Worlds criticism was based on the
understanding that the Democrats per-
mitted the amendments to the army APP
preparation bill-the amendments relating
to the Philippines and 10 Cuba-pass on
condition that the Republicans would let
the river and harbor bill pass. the latter
bill carrying large appropriations for the
South and West, and that they then per-
mitted themselves to be jockeyed out of
their share Of the profits of the bargain,
the river and harbor bill being defeated.
1t is doubtful IL there ever was an I'M
Outstanding by which the Democrats con-
seuted to the passage OF the bill carry
ing the amendments in consideration of
the Republicans agreeing to the passage
of the river and harbor bill. II there
had been an agreement or an understand
ing of that sort it would, in all PROBABLE
ity, have been kept. The Republicans are
too shrewd to repudiate an understand
ing. They know that the time is COM
ing when they will have need of Demo-
cratic forbearance, and they cannot af-
ford to have a record that would justify
the Democrats in refusing to trust them.
The truth no doubt is that the Demo-
Gratis felt that when they secured a mod
ification of the Philippine and Cuban
amendment they got the very best terms
they were likely to get-better, in fact
than If they had forced an extra session
of Congress-the new Congress being more
strongly Republican than the one that
was near its end. Besides, some of the
Democrats were not sure that the senti-
ments of the country was not in favor
of some such relations with Cuba as those
proposed.
The river and harbor bill stood by IT.
self. 1t is undoubtedly true that the Dem
ocrats favored It because it carried many
appropriations for Improvements in the
South and West but the Republicans.
who would be held responsible for it, were
afraid that the amount of it was SO great
chat it would become good campaign
mo teriaI for their political enemies. The
Democrats did very we'll in the last Con-
gress There are among those in this
Congress some able men. That this is
true will be demonstrated before the first
session of the Fifty-seventh Congress is
over.