The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-03
The Old Democratic landmarks.

From the N y. World.
A strong disposition being manifested by the
Democratic party to stand by its old land
marks, it may not be amiss to recall attention
to some of the usages and doctrines to which it
may safely adhere in the action of the present
National Convention.
With regard to the manner of making the
nominations there is no difference of opinion,
that we are aware of, in respect to the time.
honored rule which makes the votes of two
thirds of the delegates necessary to determine
who shall be the candidates. This rule is
founded in reason, and probably will never
be departed from so long as the De-
mocratic organization exists. 1t rests upon
the principle that the minority has rights
which the majority is bound to respect
1t is safeguard against rash innovations,
and against the premature adoption of reforms
to which the party has not been fully edu-
Gated. There are great cardinal principles on
which the party has always been agreed, and
majority has no right to innovate on those
principles, If the dissenters are nearly as
numerous as the advocates. 1t is wiser to
apply this test to the candidates than to the
platform, for platforms are often ambiguous;
but there may be candidates whose nomina-
tion would inevitably commit the party to a
novel policy. The nomination of Mr.. Pendle-
ton, for example, no matter upon what plat
foIm, would cut the party loose from its old
great an innovation to be made by bare ma
jority of the delegates attending one National
Convention.
The nomination of Judge Chase, to take
another example, would commit the party to
an Endorsement of negro suffrage, which again
would be too violent an innovation to be
accomplished by bare majority. By dex-
ferrous choice of phraseology it is always easy
enough to draw up platform to which no
bO1U in tha VI will object hr1f ha lio
record of candidate is thing which cannot
be obscured. The two, thirds rule is an effec-
tual barrier to ftful or ill-advised changes, and
even to wholesome changes whose premature
adoption would split the party.
As the average temper of the party is un-
favorable to fOrsalling its settled traditions we
suppose the National Convention will stand by
the hard money doctrines from which the party
never deviated in the days of its power, and
on which it won some of its most splendid vic
tories. A sound currency, resting on the basis
of the precious metals, is what the party
fought for in the days of Jackson and Van
Buren, and the reform was carried so far that
the Government repudiated everything but
coin in its own transactions. 1t neither re-
ceived nor paid out any ythipg but the precious
metals, and after long trial the people were
so well satisfied with this system that, had it
not been for the war, the pure hard money
system in Government transactions would
! never have been abandoned
II we are ever to recover the lost ground, it
must be under the guidance of the Democra-
tic party. One of the most popular things
the National Convention can put into our
platform will be denunoiation of false money
and safe and speedy method of getting back
to specie payments, The sham money which
is the curse of business, is the work of the
Republican party, and part of its work
which the Democratic party can never in re a.
son or consistency accept
Another of the old Democratic landmarks
which it is the duty of the party to stand by,
as its doctrine of State rights aud State
equality. The particular rights which have
been most wantonly infriDged by the Republ-
can party are the right to representation in
Congress, and the right of each State to deter
mine for itself the qualifications of voters.
These, therefore, are the rights which