New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-10-16

too general III bis dcclafauOns i' o""'"o
very well to say that he was lndoctrlnated
with Democratic principles III his youth; that
he came into manhood clingng to them, ana
has never departed from them; but woulh u
be asking Mr.. Olcott too much to tell us what
precisely the Democratic principles were, IN
which he was iDdOctrnaed III his YOUTH
and to which he has so nObly chung I'D HIS
manhood. Mr.. Olcott is a young Controhe',
but good proportion of his youth was pasSeu
twenty-one years ago, or about the memoir
able year of 1856. Now there's an M
preston quite prevalent in well-lniormcd circles
that since that time, say since 1884, to go no
farther back. there have been some changes IN
what Mr.. Olcott calls Democratic prin-
e" cples.u General as that impression is, it
NAV be entire erroneous. If he only had
taken the time to overhaul the platforms OF
his party ms far back rs 1856, and extracted
from them the principles III which he was
indoctrinated, to which he came to his man
hood clinging, and from which he has never
dcparted. he would have thrown great deal
of lieht upon a subject which he has now lett
somewhat in the dark, and would nave
ot the same time contributed something
worth while to current political ltcra-
ture. III lie meant, as perhaps he dld, ti"' Tic
was brought un n Democrat and had always
voted the req ar straight Democratic tlchet,
he should have said so IN so many words, ana
everybody would have understood him. Or IL
he meant that he was undermined III and
had clung to the only Democratic principle
now recognized, to wit, to get and keep the
Offices, he might have said that and we should
-
he talks about Democratic principles I'm the
plural number) that he was indoctrinated IN
and clngs to-what are they That's the qaes-
ton.
That picturesque figure, the aged Demo
crat, who had always voted the regular ticket
without a scratch since the time OF General
Jackson, used to be Il frequent feature OF Dem
Ocratic blrbecucs and maSs-mcetngs. lie WAS
a tobacco-chewing, whiskey-drinkng, red
eyed garrulous old person, who talked feeble
politics all the year around, and WIS set up
on platforms upon public occasions for show.
But of late years he has disappeared inc
average Democrat of the present period
looks with more OF curiosity than
nride upon the aged sinner who has
always voted the regular ticket, and their Gu
riosity is mixed with wonder when they hear
him brag of it. 1t isn't possible that Mr.. Olcott
l. the pioneer of a now generation OF that sort
of Bourbons. There are very few Democrats
NOWADAYS who do not know that between
1856 and the present time the Democratic
party has made record to which no sincere
patriot can "point with pride" There are
men. of course, who, during all this period have
voted the straight Democratic ticket without ev-
or a scratch but those who boast of il, or make
any public reference to it, are exceedingly rare
The Albany Convention wanted That sort OF
candidates. it seems. but We very greatly mis-
take if they expected them to make parade
Of their Bourbonism. Mr.. Olc0tt. however, has
brought ont his record. He was indOctrin-
ated IN Democratic principles some TWEEN
ty or twenty-five years ago. lie came to
manhood cinging to them. lie Las never
departed from them. Now let him gather up
the Democratic platforms OF the period referred
TO. and tell us from them what the principles
are TO which he finds himself cnging. If he
is clmging to anything he finds in any of these
declarations of principles, the country wants
TO take good look at him. lie must be
about IA lonesome man as the universe
aNnrIa