The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-11-25
Reform is the Word.

| Reform is the Word.
1t is not wonderful that the proposition
| that the Democrats shall fight the coming
Presidential campaign upon the single Is
| sue OF reform creates CONSERVATION among
the Republicans. They know it is the
Vulnerable point in their defences Mill
| tary men have u maxim that a fortress is
no stronts ger than its weakest point. These
Republican engineers may build the walls
| Of their delences Us high and thick as they
please, and yet they cannot conceal the IA
| tai weakness ofthat portion which is honey
| colnhed by official corruption, where the
well directed attack of the beseigers will
burst through and carry all before it.
The Portland Press, especially, is very
much alarmed at the prospect, 1t thinks
| the Democracy will do very wrong to con-
duct its campaign in the manner indicat-
ed, and refuses to believe that it is good
policy, good generalship, or justified by
successful precedents III party history.
The Press says:
We have heretofore called attention to the
| article Of the Belfast journal which scouts the
necessity OF the Democratic party having a
| roncy IN the pending campaign. AS an excuse
| for this course, the Journal asserts that the
| Wing party in its occasional triumphs over the
| democracy, secured them without the an
uouncement of a policy. We think this hardly
true. The Harrison campaign was made upon
the Clay doctrine known us the American
poleF and the question of the advisabity of
the general government making improvements
upon rivers and harbors was another issue
Are we not right?
The Press is wrong Horace Greeley,
in his Political Text Book, issued in 1860,
says Of the Convention that nominated
Harrison and Tyler:
The Convention adopted no platform of prin-
cples; but the party in conducting the memoir
able campaign of 1910, assailed the alministra-
ton OF Mr.. Van Buren, for its general misman-
a%cment Of public affairs and its protligacv. and
the result was the triumphant election of Har-
ri>on and Tyler.
We think the Press will have to con-
ccde that the great Wing victory was won
without any formal declaration of princi-
pies. Mr.. Clay had announced his Amer
lean policy as early as 1928, but the ex-
cessive tariff, when it went into operation,
had created such intense dissatisfaction in
the South as to imperil the Union during
the administration of jackson, and led to
its modification to avert Just such war
as We experienced during Lincoln's add
ministration. The Wings were not so
unwise rs to relight that firebrand
The Press proceeds to say:
The party tlnas itself IN Il place where mere
fault-ilnding. misrepresentation and oenuncia-
lion will not suffice. Even its committees to
investigate Republican shortcomings and sins
will not I'LL the bill. The country cannot be
governed by investigations. The people will not
be satisfied with party whose only claims for
recognition is that they are able to show that
bad men have robbed the nation during Repub-
lean administration.
When country like ours Is governed
by bad men who rob and otherwise mis-
govern the nation, the first care of the
people should be to dcposc them, and put
in their places men who have not robbed
and misgoverned the nation. The great
need OF the time is honest men in public
station, And in the care of men who add
ability to honesty the general affairs of the
country will not suffer The country re-
qulres to know how it has been robbed,
to what extent, and by whom, This can
only be discovered by thorough investiga-
ton. 1t would seem that no party with
clean hands can object to it,
The Press thinks that the Democratic
party cannot avoid declaring its policy
upon the tariff, the currency and the
banks. We answer that the policy of re-
form includes all those questions If ex-
pericnce and research shall show that a
change of the present laws upon these
points can be had with advantage, the
Democrats, when in power, will be ready
to act upon that idea. 1t is certain that
the finances Of the country can be very
greatly helped by cutting down the enor-
nous and needless expenses which the
present administration is lavishing in
every direction The expenditures OF the
navy and interior departments, and for
supporting the executive mansion, have
scandalousy swollen under the admins
traton of Gen. Grant, and need to be
checked. A reform campaign and a re-
form administration will take care of all
that