Year: 1874

IN much larger sense than the cor
responding machinery Of the Repnbli-
can organization Is understood to
make laws for the party, could have
taken the position 1t did on Saturday
night toward the act known as the
Salary Grab and the men who sup
ported it. We have seen the party
commit some egregious blunders in
the past dozen years, but never any
so utterly stupid, so absolutely suicidal
as this. The action of the last Con-
gress IN passing the Salary Grab bill
was blunder and crime. The Re-
publican majority. though a smaller
portion of them than of Democrats
voted for the bill, were held RESPONSE
bic for it. The indignation Of the
people was thoroughly aroused, as the
late elections testify, against the out
rage, and it is also testified by the
same elections that their Indignation
was visited upon the party In power.
Some Of the Democratic leaders, In
deed most of them. saw the opportu-
nifty, and In their conventions and on
the stump made the most of 1t. Their
newspaper organs were full of dcnu1-
Citations Of the great swindle, their
conventions condemned it by resolil-
tion in the most unmeasured terms,
and their orators never tired of ring
ing the changes upon it. In
every State where they made a can
vass this was their leading topic; upon
this peg they hung the weight OF their
opposition TO the Administration. In
Pennsylvania they repudiated Salary
Gabber who had long been one of the
most prominent and influential Of
their leaders, and in this State they
carried a clause in their resolutions of
condemnation denouncing Democrats
as well as Republicans who voted
for it or who had not renonnced
their share in the plumber. It is not
too much to say that whatever of sue
cess that party could claim in the late
elections was attributable to its persis-
tent charging Of the responsibility for
this unpopular measure upon the Re
publican majority in Congress. and its
equally constant and earnest disclaiin-
ers on its own account and repudia-
tion of all connection with its authors
and abettors.


The Democratic party, it may be
observed, Is not so flush of capital
that it can afford to throw away OPP
portunities to take advantage of the
mistakes of its opponents. There
would have been. to be sure. good
reason to doubt the SINCERITY Of the
party in denouncing a measure for
which a majority Of its representatives
in Congress had voted, but this had
already been done by its conventions
in official utteranCes and by the party
orators and organs In a sweeping and
demonstrative way. They bad carried
elections on it. 1t was the first win
ming card they had played for long
time. But when the representatives
Of the party came together at Wash
ington, they disclosed Mt once the hol-
lowness Of their ante-election protes-
sions and promises, and went back on
the entire record. The reason for 1t is.
of course, plain enough. A majority
of them had voted for the bill and
touched the plumber. What was the
party to them. except as they could
use 1t to secure office-and what was
Office but opportunity to get money
out Of the public treasury? It was
not for them to make sacrifices for the
party. If there was. any sacrifice to
be made they were quite ready to sac
rifce the party to their own greed,
and then take their chances before the
people. And so they flung in the
faces of all the Democratic Conven-
tions that had denounced the Grab,
the nomination of Fernando Wood,
q chief Salary Grlbber. for Speaker,
and by that act saddled themselves
with more of the responsibility for the
measure than could with any show Of
reason be charged to their opponents.
The New-Hampshire Democratic Con-
gresham who stumpeGl his district for
reelection last spring on the ground
OF bis opposition to the Grab, and
Immediately after election drew his
plnndeT. was a fit foreruImer Of the
caucus of last Saturday. He was an
excellent specimen of his party.


The Administration party has been
guilty Of some great fHllies and great
crimes. But to repudiate that party
and yet up In It's place one that has no
more consistency, sincerity or honesty
than has been shown by the Democrats
III this matter would be turning out
blundcrers to install thieves in their
places. The truth Il. and IL IN use
Iess to undertake to disguise Il, the
Democratic party Is hopeless. It has
survived its principles. its SENSE Of
honor, its integrity, and its capacity
for usefulness. Il hgs stapefAhOgiS.
The beat service &c can do che country
la.kO Clshamds--K, II. TihtiWes -.