Year: 1874

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mixed" Our political parties resemble two
armies pretending to be drawn up in order Oh
battle, in which the troops are arranged on
the confusing plan of intermingling regiments
of foes with regiments Of friends on each sioe'
When the signal for battle is given nre oe-
liyered across the common front is rs hkeiy
to wound friends as foes and there Is con-
slant danger that battalions of the same COM
mand will discharge their shot into each
other. The currency question appears in all
the recent platforms as political issue; but
there are hard money troops and imitation
troops on both sides OF the line, and VIC
tory by either side could not decide the ques-
ton. The same confusing mixture of forces
prevails on the free trade question.
| large section of the Illinois republi-
cans are free traders; q large section
Of the Pennsylvania democrats are protection
lists. There is a similar jumbling of clements
on the transportation question, which has
lately risen into prominence. Our party lines
are not drawn with reference to well-marked
division Of public sentiment as to the merits
of practical measures. There is no harmony
of views even in respect to closely related
issues, like the currency and revenue reform.
Many of the Western free traders are infa-
tionists, and, on the other hand, many Of the
Eastern advocates of a sound currency are
protectionists. The consequence is that the
strength of every section of public opinion is
frittered away by division and neutralized by
distribution in opposite camps 1t is impos-
sible to collect the sense Of the country on
the currency question, or the revenue ques-
ton, or the transportation question by con-
test between the two great political organiza-
TONS No victory by either side can prove
anything respecting the wishes of majority
of the people on any of these great topics


This unnatural and tangled condition of
important issues degrades our politics into
vulgar contest for Office and spoils. The cleo
tions can decide nothing beyond the fact that
this party gets in or stays in, or that party
goes out or stays out. If our elections could
be made to turn on the currency issue alone
all the specie men fighting on one side and all
the paper men on the other, the country
would learn how it stands on this great ques-
ton, the election returns showing whether the
inhationists or the redemptionists were to
have the future control of the government
But in the present aduterous intermixture the
elections can decide nothing either way. So,
if all the free traders were in one party and all
the protectionists in the other, the elections
would enable us to judge which side is in
the majority and to estimate the char
of f,t,, far Of
the election returns will actually tell
us nothing when issues are so confused that
neither party has any distinct policy on the
subject 1t is superfuous to remark that this
condition Of our politics is debasing and de-
moraizing, since neither party is contending
for great principles and important measures,
but only to get possession Of the government
and control of its patronage. The members
of the two political organizations are not
bound together by unity of views on public
questions, but by what statesman of the last
generation called 'the cohesive force of pub
lie plunder" cohesive force of plunder to
be retained on one side, or of plunder to be got
on the other. Political morals will remain ct
their present low ebb until parties divide on
principle and citizens who think alike act
together on the same side.


The way out of this confused ENHANCEMENT,
which strips our politics Of all dignity, moral
earnestness and genuine sincerity, is to be
found by separating and simplifying issues
and fighting but one battle at time. 1t is
only by this method that we can find where
the majority lies on any gwen question.
There can never be but one predominant
issue in any one contest. The predominant
issue in this contest is official patronage and
spoils. 1t ought to be some one Of the i'm
portant questions that affect the public W ell
fare. II the advocates of a sound currency
could gain decisive victory in the coming
elections that question would be taken out of
the arena and the country could proceed to
settle another But when the tariff question
and half dozen other questions are mixed
up with this nothing can be decided, be.
cause every majority is frittered away
and lost by distracting division
and distribution of the advocates of particu
lar measures It is like the confusion ant
imbecility that would result from Jumping
half dozen separate bills together in legis
lative body and forcing vote upon all at th'
same, time. The rejection of such a bill
would prove nothing except the folly of th'
Jumping process, because members who ap
proved of only one or two of the associated
measures and detested the rest could not b.
expected to swallow the whole batch.


In the present condition of the countr..
there are only two subjects of immediate
urgency, and even these two ought to b
separated and one Of them postponed, becaus
they are not related. These two subjects ar
the currency and the condition of the South
The free trade issue is an impertinenc'
until after these two have been decided.
is a question in which there is a