The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1917-04-13

household troops of France advanced
to the front. and, hating, said to the
British: Gentlemen, will you be so
good as to fire first?" 1t would seem
as though Champ Clark and Jim
Mann were so laden with political
chivalry in our day that they would
emulate the military chivalry of the
legions Marshal SAKE led to glory and
tc victory. more than a century and
half ago.
There was the Hon. Mann beseech.
ing the Republican governor of New
York to call a special election to fill
vacancy on the Democratic side of
the house of representatives before
the Sixty-fifth congress should con-
vene, and the Hon. Clark, not to be
outdone by the Republican cheftain
hoped the Democrats of the New
Hampshire legislature would insist
on change Of the law OF that State
so as to authorize an election to fill
the vacancy in the congressional dele
cation from New Hampshire prior to
April 16.
There is nothing wrong in such
chivalry. 1t is good policy, and wha.
is good policy is good politics. The
famous Yankee philosopher wrote:
Never a magnanimity that fell to
the ground" and 1t is true. There
might be some objection to pairing
those two districts because OF a pret-
ty well grounded expectation that
both will return Democrats at the
special elections.
There was very little doubt that
the Democrats would organize the
S!xty-fifth congress. Whatever else
the Republican party may be. and it
is a heap of things, mostly bad, the
Republican party is not fool, and IL
would have been fool thing for that
party to Jump in and grab a part of
the big load Of responsibility now
resting on those in power. There was
deal OF fool talk about a "coali-
ton" We have never done that
thing that way in our country and
there is no likelihood that we ever
shall do 1t. We are not built that
way.
The fellowship, that amounts to
chumship, existing between Randall
Clark and Jim Mann savors of the
beautiful. How much of it, IL any.
is due to a common aversion is not
quite clear. More likely il is the
fruit OF common mediocrity. Champ
was born a sophomore, lives a sopho
more, and will die a sophomore. Jim
was born plodder, lives a plodder.
and will die plodder. When Champ
in burst OF fervid patriotism de.
clared in an ecstatic speech in con-
gress that the second election of
Grover Cleveland to the presidency
was the greatest calamity that had
oVertaken mankind since the fall of
Adam, he brought down the house.
When Jim coBtended that congress
should edit, or censor, the roll OF
guests at White House luncheon, he
was guilty of an asininity little less
In degree than what Champ had said
or the man who had established
had created in fact-the national
credit.
When l first got to this town Sam
Randall was the Democratic speak
er and Pig Iron Kelley the titular
leader OF the minority, though Gar
FIELD was the real leader OF that side
From the same State, there was lit
tie difference in the political views
OF Randall and Kelley. The speaker
was an old Whig and a Democrat in
nothing in the world except his op-
position to the Southern reconstruc-
tion policy OF the Republican party.
Kelley began public life a Democrat
and free trader, and became the
stoutest champion of robber protec-
tion Of his time He was a Green
backer too. and would have ceased
the coinage Of both gold and silver IL
1t had been in his power. He would
have substituted the printing press
for the mint
But there was no fellowship. or
chumship. existing between Champ
and Kelley such as maintains be-
tween Clark and Mann They were
not built that way.
The six years that Mr.. Carlisle