New-York tribune., 1876-05-19
THE ONO DEMOCRATS.

II is impossibe not to feel some little salts
faction at Mr.. William Aliens victory. hiS-
chievous, idiotic, and dishonest as his policy
NAV be, we must at least admit that he bc-
lieves in it, and is not afraid to say so. lie Is
a plucky old man, and Americans love pluck.
He was beaten in Ohio last year because Ec
had the courage to confess himself rcpudla-
ZIONIST, while other Democrats went about
saving soft things to both sides and contl1ving
phrases capable OF any variety OF interpreta-
tions that might be found convenient. But he
is not dismayed. He returns to the at
tack upon the national credit bolder
than ever. He declares that he "shall
"urge against all opposition, come from
"what quarter it may the unconditional
repeal of the Resumption act, the defeat oi
attempts at contraction, the payment oil TIE
public debt in silver, and in general crusade
of the working classes against the money
" oligarchy.n He does not mean to let com
mon sense or the Ten Commandments stand III
his wav What William Allen wants Is pialn
to all the world and after the shullinS and
shifting and prcvaricating which have prevailed
i'm Democratic Conventions OF late, 1t Is a re-
lief to come upon such frank expression
even OF blatant folly and unblushing ascality
Those who vote for this ancient cut-purse at
least will not commit themselves to a Great
Unknown.
The ease with which Mr.. Allen captured the
Convention is attributed to the mismanage-
ment of Mr.. Thurman's friends. Is it not
more likely to be owing to the tlnldlty OF
Mr.. Thurman The distinguished Senator
from Ohio is believed to be a friend OF honest
money. but no one could fight on the unmcan-
ing platform which his adhcrcnts presented to
the Convention. 1t contained the familiar
formula about returning to specie payments
"when the Same can be done without seri-
"ously disturbing the business of the country"
which no one puts into platform NOWADAYS
without wink and a smile; it demanded the
repeal of the Resumption act; it denounced
the fixing of any date for resumption. How
was it possible under such banner as this to
make an effective assault upon the
extreme inflati0nists, who proiessed the same
principles and only carried them further
toward their logical conclusions 7 The whole
platform which the Thurman men proposed
wax a deceit. 1t thanked the Democratic
House of Representatives for bringing to light
the all-pervadine corruptons OF the Rcpubh-
can Administration, as if the disclosures OF
the past Winter had not involved both sides.
II censured tho President for attempting to
prevent exposures by "refusing to surrender
"papers when demanded" while everybody
knows that the President has done nothing OF
the kind and it committed the extraordinary
indecency of denouncing " the Republican Ju-
"diciaIy, which has discharged witnesses i'm
prisoned in contempt of tho authority OF the
House for refusal to answer questions neccs-
:" sary to the exposure of guilt in Office" No
decent man can regret that such platform
was rejected.
And now perhaps respectable Democrats. In
Ohio as well as In other parts of the Union,
will begin to realize what we told them last
Summer, that if they 20 on paltering with the
currency issue and playing with fire the whole
marty will fall into the hands OF these Allen
and Cary incendiaries, and good and bad will
90 down together in one disgraccful ruin Mr..
Thurman ought to have made his fight year
ago. IL he had initiated the boldncss Of his
uncle, then the party would not have been
torn by dangerous intestine discord Mt this
critical time and the hard-moncy Democracy
would have been In a position TO force
its principles upon every State Convention. II
il of course perfectly clear now that tho Ma
tional Convention must put Mr. Allen under
the closest extinguisher procurablo, II II has
any hope Of winning tho yotes Of the States