The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-09-10
anon , tbose who ware ioud IL .bs ,,ttAr:

anon those who were loud III thS utter:
ance OF the party cry Of "reform."
The hest method of judging of the
claims Of opposing political parties is to
compare theft record on public question:.
Applying this test to ths Democratic
and Republican parties, it seems impos.
sible that my well-informed person
should prefer the former. Take the rec
ords Of these parties on q few Of the
leading questions. On the pre-eminent
one of the ilaintsnance of the Union
the Democratic party was Father, in
sympathy with the rebellion than
with the government-we speak
iio% Of the party in it's organized
capacity and ii6t 6fiudividuals. On the
questions Of maintaining tiis credit, ID
the government, the payment Of The
public debt, the, resumption Of specie
payments, the refunding Of the bonds at
a lower rate OF interest. the efforts to
preserve peace md equal rights ut tile
south with honest and free elections, the
Democratic party was ilo,e or less hos.
tile to the accomplishment OF the ends
desired, and to the measures which, hav'
ing been adopted, and carried out by the
Republican party in spite OF the Demo:
cratic opposition thereto, have proved an
unbounded success. These are not mere
partisan statements, but facts of record.
1t is true that some Oh these. measures
received Il lukewarm SUPPORT from q few
of the Democratic congressman, but the
bulk of the party opposed them all, and
in the case of the most important, the
act for the resumption Of specie payment,
demanded and attempted its repeal to
the last moment. Now when these
measures are successful, and it il
found that they have aided large
ly in establishing prosperity and
stability in business, the Democratic
party acknowledges their benefcence,
thus practically admitting the radical
error of its course; yet 1t, In the same
breath, denounces the Republican party
and demands that it shall be displaced,
Notwithstanding the excellence Of it,
works Practically the position OF the
Democratic party Is this: eve admit
that We have been wong on all great pc.
ltical questions, but we ought to be pui
in power because u opponents
have been in long enough" II
proposes no new policy, it has come
professedly upon the ground Of the
Republican party on the questions OF
finance and the currency, and, if it car
be believed, it desires that the results Of
the wal shall be maintained, and q fail
election and an honest count shall be had
in all parts of the country. But il itnot
safer to trust the party that has always
been righton these questions than the ON
that has been wrong, and whose prac
tice up to this moment is re~prehensible
Even if the promises of the Democrat,
party could be implicitly relied upon, it,
accession to fullpower would accomplish
nothing which will not be better accom-
plished by again putting the Republican
party in control of all branches Of TIT
government. But its record shows tina
the promises of the Democratic party
can not be trusted, and the nation in en-
trusting all branches of the government
to its care would run the risk of expert
encing a policy exactly the opposite, il
many important respects, of that which
it has 30 effusively promised.