Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 April 1887 — TEST TO REED. [ARTICLE]

TEST TO REED.

Criticisms ot the Democratic Record—Why Surplus Not Reduced. New York World: Senator Geo' G. Vest, of Missouri, has been spending several days in town. He is undergoing treatment for his eyes, which have become strained from overwork. The Senator said that time hung rather heavy on his hands. His physician had forbidden his reading, “and,” he added, “I cannot drink anything but tea, coffee and water, and that’s pretty hard on a Western man.” Speaking of the work of the last Congress, Mr. Vest said: “I saw in the Tribune several days since an interview with Thomas B. Reed, of Maine, who seemed to assume that the people of the United States were utterly ignorant of wnat has been done by the Forty-ninth Congress, or unable to understand the meaning of public events. Mr. Reed complains that Congress has rot reduced the Treasury surplus, provided for the defense of our eaboard or admitted three great States in the Northwest. All this he charges >o the incapacity of the Democratic party. Mr. Reed forgets to mention that an overwhelming majority of the Democrats in Congress favored the reduction of the surplus,and to that end attempted to secure the consideration of tariff reform m the House, but when, to quote, his words, they ‘marched’ up the hill twice under the leadership of Mr. Morrison, the ’ found Mr. Reed with his Republi an followers reinforced by the liandell contingent, impregnably i trenched at the top, and were unable to have the tariff question considered. Mr. Reed and his party were pledge to a refo.im of the tariff. Did he think that the vote not to consider any measure looking to such reform was a compliance with tha* pledge? This is a pertinent question, aud until Mr. Reed answers it he has no right to complain , about reducing the surplus. “As to national defense, the inquiring miud is disposed to ask, whence comes this sudden zeal for a navy and fortifications? Mr. Re d and his party had absolute control of the Government from 1801 to 1874. At no time since 1861 have the Democrats had possnssion of the Government, the Republicans having never lost control since 1801 of both branches of Congress and the Presidency.— Since 186 , when the war closed, and up to Cleveland’s election, the Republican party wasted upon the navy, so called, and fortifications more than $400,090,000, and to-day, according to Admiral Porter, our sea-board is defenseless and we have but one war vessel fit for service. Ont of this enormous am’t squandered by Republican maladministration, $90,000,000 were for

building shins mid repairing those already built. (dlha; Mr. Deed says nothing,but finds all at once we are without a navy or £< i i ,I.cations. Ills truth is, and the country understands it. that Mr. Keen and his party have sought, ever since Mr. Cleveland’s election, to swell Governmental exm mlituros in every way possible so ns to" sustain the. charge of extravagance against the Democrats in the next Congress. All sorts of jobs and schemes have been urged and supported by the Republican leaders in Congress to get money out of tho Treas .ry, but always without reducing taxes, and especially without disturbing the present war tariff, which they solemnly pledged themselves at Chir cage to readjust and reform “Mr. Deed’s charge about keeping out of the Union three great States in the Northwest and refusing the right of self-govecnnjent, etc ,is absurd, The Repul) icans in the Semite insisted that Dakota should be divide I by u line running east and west, the northern poi {jyn to be organized as a Territory and the southern part to bb admitted as a State There nip two parties in Dakota—(he one for this Bchorue and the. other admitting ftie whole Territory as n State,, without ivision- and the crats in the Sen te proposed either that an enabling act should be passed authorizing the people of the Territory to adopt a State Constitution ami apply for admission under it, or to submit the question to the people for or^ against division. Not a Democrat in the Senate opposed the admission of Dakota as a whole; but we did not believe the Territory should be divided, nor did we propose to recognize the illegal or revolutionary State Government set up in Southern Dakota in defiance of the Federal Government, and in direct violation of the Constitu'ion. The Republicans voted down every proposition submitting the question of division to the people, and then voted down an amendment admitting Montana also as a State. They believed that by dividing Dakota the Republican party would secure four Senators and two members of the House, with six votes in the Electoral College; but they had no idea of admitting Montana, because it is a Democratic Territory. The whole transaction was essentially partisan, and so great was the party zeal which controlled the action of the epublican majority in the Senate that they admitted to seats upon the floor two gentlemen claiming to have been elected Senators by the revolutionary StateLegislature of Southern Dakota* and not one word was uttered in the debat? by any Republican Senator against that unauthorized movement. We are informed by the papers that it is still progressing openly and defiantly “Wliat would Mr. Deed and his. party say if any Democratic community had inaugurated such action? .We can imagine the torrents of e'oqucnce which would make the halls of Congress resound in denunciation of this “second rebellion.” it is a great pity that Mr. Deed so gets the facts as j shown by the Congressional Record, and it will be a greater pity if they are forgotten by the pen- le.” Th statoments advanced byjMr. Re d have been echoed by Edmunds, Sherman, Hale and other Republican leaders m subsequent interviews. It is evidently their intention of making these questions the basis of their campaign thunder in the next election. Senator Yes ’s analysis of the subject will probably destroy their availarility as campaign material.— Speaking of Presidential possibilities, Mr. Vest said th t he did not know whether Cleveland would be a candidate for re-election. “Of course,” he added, “in such str. ng Democratic States as M issouri the nominee of the Democratic convention is sure to get our electoral vote. New York will probably be the battle ground next year. It is uieless to deny that Mr. Cleveland ha? made mistakes. The

Prcsid ncy of this country is, in my judgment, the most trying position in the world, and a man wo’d haye to be more than human to go through it without committing blunders and subjecting himself to criticism. lam convinced that +he masses of the people are satisfied with Mr. Cleveland. He is not as popular the politicians perhaps, as some others might be, but his severest critic will admit that Mr. Cleveland is thoroughly honest and has sincerely endeavored to do his best for the country. 1 have never met Gov. Hill, but have obtained a favorable impression of him from others. New York will doubtless name the Democratic candidate next year If Cleveland gets the delegates from this State lie will be reason bly sure of the nomination, and vice versa if Hill gets them. It is said that Hill will not enter tho rac • against Cleveland, but I do not take too much stock in that report. Human nature is pretty much the same the world over, and if a man has a chance for the Presidency he is apt to improve it even if he has to sacrifice his wife’s brother to attain his ol jects.”