Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1879-11-19
Principles Before Candidates.


The question OF politics-men and meas
ures-torms large part Of the staple pro-
duct OF many of the newspapers.
Senator Bayard was interviewed on his
return and gave temperate but very en-
phatic expressions as to what should be the
ruling policy. lie thinks the Republican
party should be disqualified because Of its
sectional SIN, and regards the Democratic
party as lit to govern the country, its only
way to success being TO show 10y its acts
that the people have confidence in it. He
has q great deal to say about the use Of
troops at the polls, and about the safety
valve of free elections" but nothing about
the shooting in the South. He tickles the
anti-Chine9e voters Of California by saying
that steps must be taken TO delay their
apprehension Of an inundation of Chinese"
What the South needs, he says, is not legis-
latlon, but sympathy and respect. "
want the people Of the South 10 feel that
they are respected and essential portion Of
this Union, and they cannot DO anything
else. Now, in order to do that we must
make their position in the Union one of
honor, i'll the first place, and then if they
fall away from that it must be their own
disgrace; hut the honorable recognition
must preccde and that they have not had
yet from the hands Of tho Republican
party
The New York TriJ,oe about the time
these words Were spoken, in an article
on the above subject, said: "Yo most Of
the leading Journals, if we may judge from
their columns, the only question of i'm
portance as to the next Presidential cam
paign seems to be this: Who will be nom.
mated? Possibly there is tendency to
overlook the fact that nine tents of the
votes cast, at any National election, are
cast with sole regard to the political princi.
Piles involved.
The Importance Of recent elections lies
mainly in the fact that they have done
much to determine the principles upon
which the contending parties shall appeal
to the people Of the next election. The
Democrats have hoped to succeed by APP
pealing to the people on the financial ques-
tions. But their defeat, in that quarter,
has been decisive. The Greenback party
has been eXtinguised, and the soft.money
! Democrats have been everywhere defeated
until it is doubtful whether any Democratic
| Convention or candidate will be rash
enough to 60 before the people with any
| form Of initiation. 1t is not to be supposed
that there has been any change in the
general tendency of the party. Neither
has there been material change in the
temper Of Republican voters. The victo
ries of hard money have convinced mana
gers of both parties that it is not safe and
will not pay to favor initiation, and both
will do whatever they can to win the con
fidence Of hard-money voters.
Again, the Democrats hope to succeed
by appealing to public opinion against the
election laws. Some journals in this neigh
borhood made this speciality, and went
into frequent Mysteries about "Davenpor
and his iron cages" There is no sort o.
doubt that public opinion at the NortE
heartily sustains all measures that have YET
been adopted to secure fair and homes
elections. The cutlery of the Democrats OF
that point has cost them votes 1t ha
advertised the fact that there was, and i,
yet, great need of sharp restraints to pre-
vent Democratic frauds at the ballot box
Inasmuch as desire to prevent fraud i
shared not only by all Republicans, but b.
many Democrats-for no voter can tell how
soon his political freedom may depend
upon his ability to resist at the ballot boz
the managers Of his own party-this dispute
has drawn votes to The support of Republi
can candidates. 1t ought to be accepted al
an axiom in politics that any party will
lose votes which attempts to break dow
barriers erected to prevent illegal voting
Still less can the Democrats afford to fac
another election as the party of nullifica
ton. All the "tall talk" all the hot word
and loud threats, uttered by Democrat,
members Of Congress, in respect to tn
Executive veto and the right way of meet
ing it, will be noted by capable historian
as the main cause of the remarkable Dem
ocratic defeat in 1879. The party did no
have sense enough to suppress its nullifer
or its revolutionists, and the natural result
was that sober and sagacious men de
termined not to instrust power to party 8
reckless. If the Democrats hope to sue
coed at all they must begin by driving on
of their counssls men who fippant
threaten revolutionary measures in orde
to hear applause from convocation O
weak.headed and hot-tempered partisans