Year: 1878

which party Mr.. Butler proposes to join, and
send that party the thanks of Republicans for
taking him off their hands, All these gentle
men have deserved well Of the Republicans,
and it would be simply ungrateful not to
make suitable acknowledgement of the obli-
cation. They have cleared up as no one else
could, the fog OF their own creation, and
done more in single session to remove from
the public mind whatever doubt there was of
Republican honesty and capacity than the
Republicans themselves could have done
during a whole Presidential term. Indeed


they qave done much more than this; they
strengthened the Republican party with the
people by the gratuitous exhibitions of the
insincerity, incapacity and untrustworthiness
of its only competitor and rival 1t may be
said that this was not their intention, but it
is not well to pry over -curiously into motives;
let it suffice that they have actually perform
ed this great public service, and in doing it
have sacrificed their own party. They have
builded great deal better than they knew,
and great and magnanimous party, which
profits by their exploits, should not grudge
them its hearty thanks.


In the matter of the currency, no Republi-
can could have done for his party what MIR.
Bland, of Missouri, did when he disclosed the
real purpose of the Democrats TO ''wipe out
the national debt as with sponge" if they
were opposed in the passage of the Silver
Bill; and the Republicans themselves could
never have offered the country such conyinc.
ing proof of the incapacity Of their opponents
to comprehend the financial question, and
legislate wisely thereon, as the Democratic
majority did when they passed the Silver
bill as the panacea for existing troubles, and
fonnd it operating precisely contrary to their
expectations. Had there been no Democratic
majority in the present Congress, the Demo
Gratis might have gone into the coming Con-
gressional contest harping upon the old string
that labor troubles and financial distress grew
out of Republican acknowledgement, and that
the only way out of the difficulty was to give
the Democracy chance to prescribe. They
have had their chance, and made a mess of it,
and there is no one so blind now as not to see
that the Republican policy and plan of re-
sumption were wiser than anything their
opponents proposed. The thanks of the Re-
publican party are due the Congressional
majority for this material contribution.
Herein, too, the Democrats have demonstra-
ted their insincerity. They resolved at st.
T hats thoir TO ba
Act was based upon the belief that the abt
was really an obstacle to resumption. The
comment on that profession is found in the
undeniable feet that their whole policy in
Congress has been one of obstruction to re-
sumption. t


They might have gone into the Congress
sional canvass with the claim that if they had
the power they would build up the industries
of the country by the enactment of wise and
judicious tariff. No Republican could have
answered that claim with half the force that
Mr.. Fernando Wood has with his unsuccess-
full attempt to cook up bill which would
unite his own party. Thanks to Mr.. Wood,
the public has not to be enlightened on that
point They might have flung out the old
charge of extravaganza against the Republi-
cans and demanded power upon the grouad
that they would retrench expenditures and
practice economy. They have themselves
furnished an answer to that argument in the
indecent manner in which they have increased
the patronage and salaries of the Democratic
House, and attempted to cut down the same
in Republican Senate, only retreating from
the latter position upon the argument that the
Senate would be Democratic efter next
March; in the introduction of vast array of
claims against the government arising out of
the rebellion, and in the hafty passage of log
rolling appropriation bills. They have done
the Republicans the favor in this matter to
prick their own bubble. They might have
made some innocent people believe they
would purify and reform the Civil Service
had they not been afforded an opportunity to
try their hand ht reform in the limited sphere
of the Doorkeepers Department of the House,
when they played such fantastic tricks as
made them for months public laughing



disgrace. By their doorkeepers and their
committee clerks and experts, they have re-
lieved the Republicans of any necessity for
answering them on the question of Civil Sefv-
ice. They might have come forward with
the somewhat worn and stale appeal to indie
pendent Republicans to lay aside partisanship
and vote for q change. in the Government; but
fortunately they have shown what. they mean
by non partisanship during the present session
After such, ,partisanship and prescription as
they have shown us, they will hardly have.
the assurance to talk in the old strain on that
theme. ..eTaIl ~ 1i -


Then there were lingering suspicious in the
public mind that under Republican admins.
trations there had been corruption and fraud
and official peculation and extravagauce which
had not been thoroughly ventilated aui ex-
posed Had it not been for this Democratic
Congress there would no doubt have been
people simple enough to listen creduiously to
the Democratic argument that power should
be intrusted to the Democrats to investigate
the transactions of the past seventeen years.
But the nimble Glover has had fish hooks and
lines and harpoons and experts and clerks and
lighted candles, and power to send for persons
and papers and administer oaths, and been
given full swing. and the result is that he has
not only been unable to discover Republican
rascals, but unable to escape finding Demo
cratic rogues. No Republican Congress could
have given itself so clean bill of health as
this one has, nor could any Republican Con-
gress have shown up Democratic roguery