The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-05-02
POLITICAL PARTIES,

and opens the campaign with u speech
which may be accepted az his platform
Of principles, II entitled to whatever
respect aud consideration iIs merits
command and that can Ia no sense rise
above its author, Colonel Jones has
been constant 10 no political idea or
policy, and while his views to-day may
be correct upon certain questions yet
We fail TO find them accompanied by
sufficient guarantees that Colonel Jones
will abide by them until the voting
commences oven, 10 say nothing OF
what Is 10 come 10 pass after no takes
his seat upon the congressional benches,
We do not object 10 or cayil NJ his inde-
pendent position, We have here IN
Texas practically but ono party ana
that condition IL attended by many beN
setments, We would soe autobiography
based upon respectful opposition TO the
democracy, established without the
least dispoasure or apprehension, This
il what Colonel Jones IL striving TO do
In reality, and his twaddle about castN
ing party trammels aside Is all moon
shine Whenever he has enough of
mdpmdmtlollowng to elect him he has
n party, and 1t will stand or fall upon
the merits OF its policies, just rs any
other party does,
Colonel Jones recognizes in the iinanN
cml question only what every thoughts
lul man does, tho grand issue before
the country, and before which all other
questions sink into nsignlcOnCe. But
does he enunciate n new principle 7
Does he mark out new path, give
startling theories, or announce any poIS
icy which il not held alike by demos
crat or republican, Does not the ms
diana platform cover every part OF
tho ground upon which Colonel Jones
has planted himself for the lace, 30 far
IA finance il concerned II so then his
position as to financial reform is dies
ceit, and falls back purely upon the
only other principal in sight--opposi'
ton to party organization, and for the
very competent reason that party Or
carnations havcpersistently manifested
II total blindness M TO the merits OF
Colonel Washington Jones himself,
We are irresistably led to the conclus,
ion that had il not been for this blinds
ness OF parties, there would have been
nothing independent about the colonel
to day,
Great reforms in our government are
necessary, both in its policies and adj
ministration, but we have always con.
tended that the work belongs to, and
can be better done by the democracy
than by any other influence within the
government No third party is necessary,
and il one were forced it must get its
spirit and force both from the limbers
of the old organizations. 1t is mid>
summer madness to dream OF great
popular party built upon the political
doctrines OF the republican and demo-.
cratic parties, and which will contain
within its body all the moral and pol>
ltical virtues which the Others lack.
This Utopia may exist for Colonel Jones
but few Others in Texas can see il,
strain their faith never so hard Davis
on the one hand and Coke on the other
may have failed to realize all that their
respective parties hoped for from them.
But what guarantees has Colonel
Jones to offer against tho common
lot of fallibility. If he can offer
them, is it not singular that his virtues
should have remained so long, so com>
pletely hidden from the people2 There
may be enough in this grave financial
question to found party, but does
Wash Jones go any further into the So.
luton Of the questions underlying it,
than does the Indiana platform Then
what have the people of the Fifth dis
trict to gain by abandoning the party
organization of democracy, and by put
ting him into congress simply because
he wants to 60 there,
There is no reform necessary or pos
sible in our government finance, or civil
service, which cannot be better worked
inside of the democratic party than
anywhere else, or by any other human
agency, and either the patriotism or
honesty of the democrat who proposes
to work it out by any other means, is
fairly open to objection. The Necs finds
even its own mild and doubtful type of
democracy irksome, and halls any de.
lection as n godsend, but it does not
look on Colonel Jones Independent 20,
sition with much favor because it is
clear that it will injure the republican
party in the coast country more than
1T will the democracy. Our extracts
trem Colonel Jones speech will give
the reader IN insight into the positions
assumed by him, and to that we refer
them.