New-York tribune., 1878-12-18
H1fD-uoNEY DEMOCRACY.

Riding two horses and sitting on tWo STOOLS
are prOverbialy dangerous operations. Yet
the Democratic party is solemnly advised to
try that experiment again. All the world
remembers how nicely the party succeeded in
1860, when it attempted to bridge over the
question of Slavery in the Territories by
running Presidential Electors pledged to vote
In part for Douglas and in part for Breckin-
ridge, so that the election might be thrown
into a Democratic House. Perhaps it is not
strange that individuals should be so indiffer-
ent to recent experience and prOverbial WIS
dom as to propose another trial of the same
sort But no one would expect a great
party to adopt such suggestion a
second time If that party had not
become more famous for the stupidity
of its blunders than for anything else. The
plan now submitted and gravely discussed In
Democratic circles of influence, is that the
Democratic party shall run hard-money
| candidate, and the Greenback party soft
money candidate, but that the two shall unite
upon one set of electors in each State. with
the agreement that the electoral votes shall be
cast for either candidate in proportion as the
popular vote in that State for either party
may be divided. There are trifiing difficulties,
tof course, but these could be readily over
come. That the plan can be made to work,
if each party consents, will not be doubted.
Whether il will work success or disgraceful
failure, as it did before, is not so clear.
The recipe of Mrs. Glass for cooking a
hare began, "Fnst catch your hare" 1t will
be necessary. first of all, to get the soft
money Democrats to consent that soft
NJ ataafnh af
the candidate of the Greenback party. That
! would mean the disbandment of the Demo-
cratic party the election mainly by Demo
cratic votes of the candidate of a hostile or
ganizatiOn, when the same Democrats have
the power to nominate such man as they
want in their own party convention. That
the sOft-mOney lunatics can control any
caucus or convention of the Democratic party
is indisputable. Within that party certain
leaders have secured local or National prom
inence outside of it, in any new party, other
men would dispute with them for the leader
ship or management. 1t would be very nice
for Mr.. Tilden or Mr.. Bayard to have Mr..
Hendricks consent to relax his grasp upon the
Democratic party in Indiana, or Mr.. Thurman
in OniO But when they consent, the hare
may DO Auu Wuou OhO phf "O
may all catch larks.
The Republicans would be delighted to have
this experiment tried again. Somewhere in
Connecticut, it is possible, there is still in ex
isIence the stuffed skin of a two-headed calf,
which did excellent service in the campaign
of 1860 as the emblem of DGmocracy-twO
heads, but no heart or brains. party which
is entirely destitute of principles or convic-
tions should at least take care not to adver-
tise the fact too widely. Under the proposed
arrangement, all the soft-money Democrats at
the West would be Disguised with their party
because of It's open dicker with "the agents
" of the Rothschilds," and at the same time
all the haid-money Democrats would be out
ragged by the shameless barter of the party
with regulators. On the whole, we can
not think of a scheme which would
more thoroughly show the utter dishonesty
and lack of principle of the Democratic party.
1t is to be very much regretted that the fiat
money lunatics and stubborn repudiators are