Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-02-06
An Unconditional Surrender.

An U4cOH8AAAOHaA StAEEcnOCE'
Senator Hill, of Georgia, is confident that
if the Democratic party viii let him make its
platform and then will live up to the doc
trines he lays down it can continue in power
indefinitely; or, as he says, .'the child is not
yet born who will witr ess the termination OF
Democratic rule in this county, And his
platform ia quite simple. 1t embraces four
points, which he says the party ought to pro-
claim to the world, and adhere to with fidel-
ity. First, he would not pay any war claims,
whether the claimants were loyal or disloyal-
Second, he would vote no more of the public
money or lands to build up railroad corpora
tions. Third, be would. in good faith, pay
every dollar of the public debt, principal and
interest, in good money of standard value
Fourth, he would restore the Constitution OF
the country, and put honesty into its admin
istration. This is by no means q bad plat
| form. The Senator from Georgia has not
gone far wrong in saying that if the Demo
cratic party should lay down this platform
and adhere to il with fidelity, il would retain
control of the Government for long time
There has not been a safer or more reasonable
statement made in the Senate for great
while. He might have added also, for the
| benefit of Mr. Hendrick B. Wright and other
champions of the starving and oppressed, that
| if the sky should fall the danger of famine
would be averted and the present distress
cease, and the toiling millions have their bare
lardels replenished with pigeon pies. The
| trouble is in the 'if" Mr.. Hill has opened
magnificent prospect for hungry Democrats in
this long and unimpeded vista of Democratic
| rule, but there's an ''if" of the largest con
ceivable dimensions at the door of it.
| HIS first proposition, concerning Southern
war claims, at once aroused the anger OF that
emipent Democratic leader, Mr.. Beck, of
| Kentucky, who denounced it as a stump
Gratis out of every ten in Congress who would
never assent to any such declaration. 1t
would be great thing for the party ''if" they
only would adopt the principle and adhere to
it-but they won't. AS to the second, the
''if'' is fully as fatal Probably four-fifths OF
the Democrats in Congress from the Southern
States are in favor of granting subsidies to
railroad corporations for the purpose of de-
velaping the resources of the South, building
up that section, and getting even with the
North. They would sooner yield any point
| in the Democratic creed than consent to give
up the hope of Government aid and subsidies.
The party would no doubt be stronger if it
should lay down this principle of opposition
| to subsidies-but there's the fatal eff in the
way. As to the third article, the payment OF
the debt in good faith and in good money,
Mr.. Hill must know that the one thing which
his party is opposed TO doing is just that. If
the party would make the declaration MIR.
| Hill advises, and induce the public TO believe
that it would faithfully carry it out, its pros
poets of long continuance in power would,
no doubt, be greatly improved. But the eff"
that stands in the way here is of the largest
kind, and is held in its place by almost the
entire party. Then as to the fourth PROPOSE
tion-to "restore the Constitution Of the
country and put honesty into its administra-
tion"-no doubt the party might be agreed as
to 30 general a declaration; but the trouble
with this would be that the public would not
credit its professions. We have seen too much
of what the Democracy are pleased to call
"honest administration. 1t has to be re.
formed too often ITSELF
The truth is Mr.. Hill has offered precisely
such platform as the Democracy cannot
support. The things he would have them
favor are just those they are most bitterly
opposed to, and the things he would have
them oppose are those on which they have
most set their hearts. They demand subsi-
dies and payment of Southern claims; they
oppose the payment of the debt in good faith
with good money, and they cannot make
people who know them believe they care for
the Constitution or would administer it hon
estly. The conditions upon which Mr.. Hill
bases the prospect of continued Democratic
control are precisely those which the party
cannot and will not fulfill. He might better
have said, ''If the party will adopt Republi-
can principles and faithfully adhere to them,
it will continue in power" No wonder Mr..
Beck and other Democratic leaders are angry
at such behavior on the part of Mr.. Hill He
proposes an absolute surrender.-lNew York
| Tribune.