New-York tribune., 1876-04-21
4 GOOD LONG PLATFORM.

10 the pfedlnDic anu btNcHIctn
which the Indiana Democrats appended to the
nomination of Congressman Williams for Gov
ernor, nothing now occurs to us as necessary
to be added, unless indeed it bo the usual va
riety stpre sign, by way of postscript: " III
"you don't see what you want. ask for 1t"
We can imagine the Committee that was de-
liyered of these declarations contemplating
their finished work, and inquiring anxiously II
anything had been omitted; if anybody thought
of anything else upon which 1t was worth
while to declare an opinion. And we can imagine
the Convention that had discussed candidates
at wearsome length, and after endless wrestling
with great names had settled on Williams,
listening yawningly to this recital OF the
things it was opposed to and the other things
it believed in, and murmuring as the series
ran up to the fOurteenthly and ffteenthly,
And men may come and men may go, but
this platform flows on forever In more
senses than one there's initiation in the plat
form. In all respects it is a wind instrument.
Never was fisl-horn more so. The preamble
declares fidelity to number of things which
everybody either believes in or pretends to,
and which no party would dare repudi-
ate; it contemplates with alarm the pre-
vailng financial distress and political
corruption, and attributes it all to the opposi-
ton, which Is the usual and regular thing to
do, and invites everybody who believes III
official purity TO cooperate with the Democracy
in the work of reform, just rs the Republicans
invite the same sort of people to cooperate
with them for the same purpose. Preambles
are proverbialy pretty. This is no exception.
The only trouble with them is they are very
common, and n good many of them have gone
to protest This makes people little shy OF
them, particularly when they are issued by
party that believes in taking mp ore promise
with another, and holds that the notion OF
redeeming them is e barren ideality."
After tie preamble come the seventeen
declarations. OF course they declare that the
civil service is corrupt, and that the only
hope for the country is in an entire change of
administration They make no mention OF the
reforms already accomplished in one branch of
Congress by a partial change; they do not
even point with pride to the new Librarian
and Doorkeepers. or TO the Journal Clerk OF
the House. They couldn't be expected to
cover everything in seventeen paragraphs.
Moreover, the reforms already accomplished
speak for themselves They are III favor oil
retrenchment and economy, as all parties arc
in platforms; and they urge dimlnutlon III
the number of useless offices with the zeal and
earnestness which always characterize party
out of power. They believe in the "ancient
"doctrine that gold and silver are the true
"basis for the currcncy'-that is, we presume,
that when the Government promises to pay
dollar it means dollar, and not another piece
of paper-but they are opposed to saying when
the dollar shall be paid, because it would par
alyze industry and be a standing threat upon
business men. For the same reason they OPP
pose the Governments paying its notes
contraction they call it. They be-
licve, in addition to these things, in
the common schools; license law;
tho rights of soldiers and sailors; restricting
the jurisdiction of Federal courts and in pro-
hibitng Government officials from contributing
money for election purposes-which is quite
natural most of them being of the other party.
They are opposed to the payment of the Dis
trict of Columbia debt by the General Govern
ment, and to the payment of any part of the
Rebel debt and they want Thomas A. Hen
bricks nominated at st. LOUIS.
1t is very long platform. Much longer
than the average. SO, we understand, is the
candidate for Governor. Perhaps it was made
long so that he could lie down on it. The in
dignant things in it about corruption, the mel
ancholy things about stagnation, and the Wig
orous things about reform are well stated.
We seem to remember to have heard some of
them before, but that's no matter they are
always good, and unhappily always timely.
The body of doctrine contained Ill the instru-
ment might have been more briefly stated
thus "We are in favor of putting the Dem
"ocratc party in and the Republican party
"out Also of having plenty of money and of
"printing it as we want it." And yet perhaps
that would have been too abrupt.