Year: 1879

THE TRIBUNE has no authority, OF course,
TO speak for the present representative of
Daniel Webster and the State of Connecticut
in the United States Senate, but as there is
considerable anxiety in Connecticut to know
the precise time when Senator Eaton proposes
to jump on Blaine" and, withal, a little I'M
patience for the jumping to begin, we venture
on his behalf the explanation that he has
postponed his intellectual gymnastics for the
present on account of a multiplicity of
other engagements. Senator Eaton, as may
have been observed by the attentive
reader of Congressional proceedings, has been
intrusted by the caucus now running the
United States with the task of pushing bill
through Congress which shall exhaust the re-
sources of craftsmanship and suck the Con-
stitution dry in the noble endeayOT to prevent
the President--Or as Senator Eaton, with fine
sarcasm, calls him, "the man at the White
" House from stabbing free elections with
bayonets and shooting the rights of man to
death with musketry. The Senator is now
quite up to his knees and every moment
sinking deeper in this great business.
The probability is that he will continue to
founder in it till it reaches his chin. He has
already introduced bill, and is liable at any
moment to introduce a speech-pOssibly' the
speech for which his constituents wait--in
which he will "iump on Blalne' and the
"man at the White House," and the COnst
tuition, all at once. For the belief prevails in
Connecticut that when he begins to jump the
only thing to do is to move things out Of his
way.


The Connecticut Senator has had this re-
sponsible duty assigned him, We presume,
partly on account of his familiarity with the
Constitution, but chiefly because of his init
macy with the late Daniel Webster, as acc-
dentally disclosed during a recent colloquial
debate in the Senate, i'll the seourse of which
it appeared that Mr.. Webster had expressed
TO him opinions concerning our form of gov
ernment diametrcally opposed to those an
nounced in his public speeches. 1t has been
intimated that the Senator had somehow mixed
those Websters up and attributed to the Web
ster who "still lives" a remark Of the Webster
whowas hanged. Butthat theory finds no support
among Connecticut Democrats They believe
"the old man knew what he was talking
"about,n and that he viii find this remark
of Webster's if he has TO look through his en-
tire dictionary. And they are just as sure
that when he does find it he will begin to
Jump on Blaine" as they are that he and
Blaine are both alive. At present, however.
he is occupied as above stated with the task
assigned him by the caucus. He did draw up
a bill himself on this subject of military
interference with the freedom of elections, and
it was bill no doubt that covered the whole
question and spattered round somewhat on
general politics. For some reason, however,
the caucus skipped 1t entirely and produced
the pending bill by dovetailing two others.
This Is the one which he has introduced in
the Senate, and which, We have it from several
Democratic authorities, has sent terror
through the ranks of the Republican party
and caused wailing at the White House.
He is in charge of the bill. lie must at
tend TO that business at any rate, even
though Blaine should go unjumped on. 1t is
this which now occupies his mind and We
have to say TO the Democrats of Connecticut
who are waiting to see him jump on Blaine
that they must be patient until their Senator
has, after the manner Of Arnold Winkelred
gathered all the bayonets of the United
States Army in his own devoted bosom, and
made way for Liberty. He will certainly do
this if it is found necessary and something
does not happen to distract his attention.


Meantime, just to have things all ready for
the acrobat by the time he gets through with
his present duty Of establishing the rights OF
man, would it not be well tor the Connecti-
cut Democrats who are SO confident that
Webster did call the Union IA confederacy of
States and not a nation, and who are certain
that Blaine is shvering all over with fright
lest it be proved, to make the search fer 1t
and dig it upf 1t will save time for Mr.
Eaton, and prevent long wait between the
acts. Then, too. we suppose they have no de-