Year: 1877

CONGRESSIONAL DEN4GOGISM


The debate on the Army Appropriation bill
in the House, on Thursday, furnished an in-
teresting illustration of the craftsmanship OF
the new men lately come to power, and their
manner of dealing with grave public questions.
Scarcely anything said, on the Democratic
side, during the whole discussion, rose above
the level of the demagOgism Of the cross
roads. While the officers and soldiers OF our
little army are vainly waiting for the Govern
ment to pay them the money 1t owes them


for services poorly compensated at the best
money long past due-the twO-pence-hapenny
economists are discussing measures for reduc-
ing the force, and wasting time in empty talk
about attaching to the appropriation cOndi-
tons dishonOrable to the proposers and INSULT
ing to the Executive. The army having been
used, as some of these Democratic statesmen
think, for political purposes in the South,
their idea OF craftsmanship is to withhold pay
already due, until they can attach to the ap-
preparation a provision that it shall be
so no longer. And this although the cause
of complaint has been removed, and, as
every reasonable man knows, there is no
danger hardly possibility, of lis recurrence.
And they talk about it as though the policy
which retained the small garrisons in the South
never had any excuse, forgetting that those
troops were only the garnsons thai fingered


from large armies that the conduct of Demo-
cratic leaders had made necessary to maintain
the authority of the Government and that
their ultimate withdrawal was only question
of time and the establishment of peace and
order i'm insurrectionary communities. But it
was a fine chance for rant and DEM
agogism and they could not afford to
let 1t go by. SO while the army waits
for payments overdue these men hold back
the appropriations and indulge in clap-trap
speeches. And then Federal troops having
been called upon to put down riots which had
been set on foot by ruilians and yagabonds
for the sake OF plunder, and which threatened
widespread destruction of life and property,
another opportunity was afforded for dema-
gOgism which was eagerly embraced by the
ranters of the stump who misrepresented the
Workingmen of the country by intlmatlng that
they were responsible for this blOOdshed and
waste, and then insuted them further by rep
resenting that they were wronged and out
RACED because troops were usei for the sup
preston Of riot and preservation Of order.


And all this time, that Democratic states
manship is on exhibition, fishing for votes
though the voters were fools to be caught with
chalf of the cheapest kind, the men whom the
Government owes are kept waiting for their
pay. These men apparently believe that they
can commend themselves and their party to the
confidence of the country only by running
economy into the ground and cutting down
appropriations to the point Of niggardlness.
And SO long as they can do this, or seem to be
be doing it, it makes no difference whether
the men whom the Government honestly owes
are paId or not. Their notion Is the same
old one which lies at the root OF all
the initiation schemes, greenback move
ments and RECOMMENDATION plans-the notion
that the people like sharp practice in money
matters, and are ready to jump at the oppor-
tunity of getting rid of paying honest debts,
if it can only be done upon some specOus
pretext that has the appearance of fairness.
And SO To make friends and gain votes, they
devote their time and such talents as they
have to deylsing plans whereby ninety cents will
go for dollar, and to pairing down apprO-
priatiOns, without rhyme reason, in order
TO be able to go to the people with great
showing of economy and retrenchment. The
object of all this is too apparent Believ-
ing there is something yet to be made
by an appeal to popular sympathy
for the oppressed South, they lug INTO
the Army Bill a provision for which they
themselves know there is not now the slightest
occasion. In the hope Of taking advantage of
the uneasiness among the laborng classes, on
account of the commercial depression, they talk
clap-trap about the Use of troops to put down
workngmen's riots" And in the persistent
belief that the people are instinctively dis
honest and eager TO OyeTrcaCh and de-
fraud, they offer all sorts OF schemes to
give the authority Of the Government for
paying a deb. of dollar with less than a hun
dred cents. All their talk, their policies, their
dilly-dallying with appropriations their oppo-
sition to resumption and their silver remoneti- |
zation bills go upon the theory that the peo-
pie are not only fools, but naturally dishonest. |
All their acts are reflection upon the intell-