The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-05-17
The Democratic Party and
its Bad Name.
[From the New Orleans Times

The project of the New York World
and some other Democratic organs to OF
ganlZe q new combination against the
dominant party ON the paramount issue
OF free trade, but under the Democratic
banner, has met with rather poor en-
COuragement.
The New York Tribune, which is OPP
posed to the present Republican rule as
q Whole, but not to its protection policy,
Hatly refuses to go into such a combina-
ton. The Tribune reminds the Demo-
cratic leaders who now propose to make
free trade the shibboleth of the opposi-
ton, that in nominating Mr.. Greeley,
the great protection champion, they dis
tlnctly discarded free trade as n of
the live issues in national politics.
1t is plain that the Liberal Republic
cans OF the Tribune Greeley persuasion,
who acted with the Democrats in the
last Presidential campaign, would not
act with them on a platform looking to
the especial purpose of substituting free
trade legislation for a protective tariff.
On the other hand, the New York
emit Republican rule. as q whole, but is
opposed to itsprotection policy, does not
approve the project because it has no
faith i'll anything advanced in the name
and under the leadership Of the Demo-
cratic party. Indeed, there is no hope,
the Post thinks, of the revival of the
free trade principle, If. the revival sis
made to depend upon the continuation
OF either of the old parties, and particu-
larly OF that party which has been strug-
gIlng for ten years for q very precarious
existence" Of the Democratic party,
N the same connection, the Post further
says: "It is too heavily loaded with evil
remlniscences-with the ancient abuses
OF slavery which it carried so long upon
its shoulders, with the more recent
abuses of Tweedism, which symbolic
the general condition of party manage
ment-ever to become buOyant again.
According to this estimation, the Dem
ocratic party is more to be dreaded as an
ally than it is to be feared as an adver-
sary: And there is no question that with
the Northern people in general it has
acquired SO bad a name that by identi-
lying itself even with apOpular measure
1t IS less likely. to derive strength than
to impart weakness.
Hencethe Missouri Republican. sneak
ing in the interest of the Western Farm
ers' League, begs the Democratic poll
tlclans to serve the League by refrain
ing from taking it under the wing of
the party. "The farmers movement"
says the Republican, sis going ahead
with ~resolute and effective momentum.
and promises to accomplish a great deal
that the Democracy have repeatedly
tried and repeatedly failed to accom-
plish. It needs no Democratic recog-
milton nor Democratic association to
give it strength; such recognition and
association would do it more harm than
good; it would destroy its freshness as
an original movement, repel the pow
erful Republican element which it con-
tains, and cause it to dispense at the
very moment when it is beginning to
address itself to its work"
And yet this farmers movement is in
v~indication of principles which have
always been upheld by the best states
manship in the Democratic party. Its
not to these principles that popular
odium attaches, but to themanagement,
andtO some special passages in the his
tory of the party. The principles can
and will survive, whatever may become
of the name and present organization of
the party. And perhaps the sooner the
latter utterly perish from politics, the
better.