Year: 1876

New York Times


We have as little taste as any one


can have for a political canvass in
which every one admits that the
thing to be decided is which is the


worst party. It would be a great


benefit to the country if either one


or both of the great political organi-


cations could present candidates and
a policy Of such kind that the
question Of comparative probity
need not be raised at all, and we do
not despair of the Republican party S
doing a great deal to bring about
this state of things in the course OF
the next month. But il is obvious
that they are not to have much help
from the Democrats. These, on the


contrary, are doing everything they
| can to eliminate from the canvass


all issues of broad or high charac-
ter, and to make it as nearly as pos
| sible mere scramble for the spoils.
1t is now very nearly six months


since the Democrats entered on the
| possession of power in the lower
! house. They found before them a


number of matters of grave concern


to the people at large, in which the


policy of the Republican party du-


ring the fifteen years that it had


held the national government was


fairly open to criticism. On these


the country would have been glad to


see the newly successful party pro-


pose definite policy, and would


have given to any such proposition
a degree of attention such as has


not been attainabie for many years.
The finances were disordercd.
The legal-tender notes--a temporary
expedient never attended by their


authors to become part Of the reg


ular currency of the country-were


unredeemed and unredeemable. A
pledge had been given by the gov
ernment, after the Democratic vic
tories in the fall of 1874, that these


notes should be redeemed by Janu-


AIRY |, 1879, but this pledge had


been placed on the statute book at
the heel of the session, and no ad-


equate means of fulfilling it had


been provided. The country was


laboring under great business de-


preston which nearly all were
agreed in attributing to the action,


direct or indirect, of the govern


ment. Can any one doubt that if
the Democrats had shown any ca


pacity to deal with this question,
they could have awakened the in


terest Of the entire country, and


gone far toward rendering the pres
idential canvass sincere discussion


of important principles? Instead
of this however the Democrats spent
three months in ridiculous and dis
graceful attempts to devise some


measure with reference to the flnan-


ces which should be neither one
! thing nor the other, but should en-


able men of directly opposite views


to act nominally in unison. Even in
| this cowardly and stupid method the
| party failed, and after having agreed


in caucus to nondescript and fall
tering measure, had the mortiiica-
ton to see it thrown out Of the
house by the votes of their own men.
Another question of even greater
Importance was the reform Of the
civil service. That great evils had
| grown up in this connection every
one admitted. The collection and
disbursement of the vast revenues of
| the government were inadcquately
performed. Serious abuses had
crept into hastily organized sys-
TEN, and confusion, irresponslbllIty,
| n good deal of waste. and not II lit
tie corruption were known to exist.
| In addition to which the Offices un-
der the government had become the
means Of pervertlng healthy poIit-


ical action, and patronage, in modes
too numerous 10 describe, was throw
ing obstacles in the way Of the hon
est, economical and efficient transac-


ton of the public business. No


subject could be more urgent, and "a


a party worthy Of the confidence Of


the people, none could be more lnvl'
| ting than this. The Democrats os,


tensibly enjoyed peculiar advantages
| in its treatment. They had no large


body of ofiicchoIders intrenched IL


profitable places to corrupt or con,


fuse the policy Of the party. 1t hac


asked power from the country OF
| the plea that il would reform abuses


and undoubtedly the discomfort an'


indifference in the Republican rank


which had given success to the Dem
| ocracy, sprang mainly from the gen


eral perception of the evils OF tn
civil service. There was every IN
ducement to the Democrats 10 ac


fairly in this matter, and had the,


done 10, they would be as sure o
carrying the next election AZ the.
now ere of its occurrence.


What have they done in the prem
I ises? Practically nothing. The
. have done some good in the way
exposure, Let us frankly adm
that. Public opinion is more exac
. ing regarding the character OF Pu'
lie men than it would have been l,a
not the investigating committees


the House laid open many transa


tons which would otherwise hay


remained concealed. But even th


work has been done so bunglingi
IS and with such obvious partisan IN
}, tive, that it has not much advance
. the claims Of the Democrats TO po
. ular confidence. Indeed, when
Il consider the proportion of Dem
q caats who have suffered equally wi
. the Republicans by the exposures,
;. is reasonable to infer that Demo
Al Il