The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1874-06-23

OF this bill IN the House. Ii there is q
clause in it not as devilish as it can be
made BUTLER will have it amended.
About Party Platforms.
Among the time honored humbugs
which the people of tins country persist
in practicing upon themselves, none is
more transparent than that of making
party platforms. Every party Conren-
ton prepares very elaborate series of
resolutions, which it has promulgated
with great solemnity as the creed of the
party. Yet while a party without plat
form would be an anomaly,a party which
adhered to its platform would be mar
vel.
Platforms fairly represent nobody.
They find expression at least half doz.
en- removes from the people they are sup
posed to speak for. A few persons ap.
point a township committeeman; the
township committeeman appoint county
committeeman; the county committee
men appoint delegates to State Con.
vention; these delegates appoint COM
mittee on resolutions. This committee
meets, and some old stager pulls out of
his pocket string of preambles and re-
solves, which he assures the committee
NEE. the approval of Mr. Blank, who is
supposed to own the party in tina: par
ticu.ar State.
After a sufficient amount Of CRITICS
ing and explaining to make a show Of
doing something, the committee march
in body to the Convention, and with
much pomp and ceremony present their
report. The chairman who reads it un-
derstands his business well enough to
pause at the right place for applause, and
the Convention understands its business
we'll enough to applaud when he pauses.
Itis hardly to be expected that off
cials would stand in much awe of plat
form thus constructed still for the con-
sistency of the farce they should pay
some heed to it. But they don't They
seem TO make it point Of honor to kick
every plank out Of their party platform
at the earliest opportunity.
We cannot call to mind an important
resolution in platform of the Republi
can party which was not repudiated by
Congress within year from the time ii
was SO pompously proclaimed. Every
Republican Convention resolves against
land grants to railroads, and every Re-
publican Congress goes on granting
lands as if it could't help it. Every
Convention resolves in favor of retrehch
mcnt and reform, and yet plundering and
squandering go on all the same. Ant
so We might continue through the whole
list.
Platforms are not made to be observ
ed. They are made to catch gullible vo
ters, Every faction and every ism il
baited for. There is sop for the free
traders, and sop for the tariff men,ant
a sop for the temperance men,and sol
for the drinkers, and sop for the graz
gers, and sop for the working men,anc
so on through the catalogue, the Who'll
concluding with very big and a yer.
savory sop for the retrenchers and re
formers, supposed to be everybody.
! 1t has become the custom to emplo
the preamble as trumpet With which t
sound the beauties and glories and love
| illness of the party. In this the lofties
pretensions to purity and patriotism al
faunted in the faces of the people, VIII
must know them to be sheer hypocris.
A pointed illustration of this may b
found in the platform adopted by the Ii
diana Republican Convention, last weel
Here is specimen:
"By the Credit Mobilier investigation
its repeal of the salary grab;' by the al
clifton Of the corrupting moiety system
and of the Sanborn contract, it h:
shown how readily it pays obedience
: the public Judgment. BY its searchir
f investigation into abuses in the Distri
of Columbia and its prompt condemn
ton of administrative officers, it has d
monstrated its undated hostility to Il
r demoralizing doctrine that to the victo
belong the spoils of office
That is worse than ridiculous. 1t q
: sumes that the people are such fools
: not to know that the iniquities enumer
: ted were confined almost exclusively
: the Republican party. 1t assumes tn
; the people are ignorant Of the fact tn
+ the party leaders sheltered and defend
these iniquities as long as they dared
v When they could no longer conceal
justify these corruptions, they rush
!, the front and make great merit of d
: nouncing them,
The man who judges party by
resolutions is simply judging politici
by what he says of himself. We q
not sure but man should be disfranch
:. ed who unblushingly admits that he 8
: heres to party merely because he {
dorses lis platform.
A quarter interest in the Washingt
i l..