The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-12-04
NUMBER Al.
demonstrating the Party.


contain not few odds and ends that
are valuable. But any attempt to-
construct a comfortable dwelling
mouse, or any other useful building,
out of the debris of sewer or the
materials of a rubbiSh-heap, is sure
to fail. Those who talk of rem odel-.
ing the Democratic party are engaged
IN such an experiment. That party
has been tie rubbish>heap of the
country for twenty years. Into its
composition have gone all the waste
stuff that no other party could use.
Upon it have been cast all the trash
and all the used up remnants that
any other party has been obliged 10
get rid of. For twenty years that
party has been the political sewer of
this country, into which all. the filth
has descended by all sorts of cham
nels; ana the frightful outburst OF
slander, blackguardism, forgery and
Derury which the last six months
has witnessed has been merely the
result Of breakage of the sewer.
What can anybody hope to do with
the heterog sneous materials which
have gone to form the Democratic
party as it is now? No common
ideas can be found no motives in
common, except desire fer off e.
In the discussion which is now
going on between Democratic papers,
as to the best mode of reconstructing
the party, this fact has become pain.
fully apparent. Watterson sends out
from Louisville his new war-cry, but
its first note is "Free Trade" In
stantly other influential Democratic
journalists protest, and tell him that
any serious attempt to nail such q
plank into the Democratic platform
would split not only the plank and
the platform, but tho party. He is
reminded that the defeat of General
Hancock was largely due to tho at.
tempt to put free.trade ideas into its
Cincinnati platform, and the conse-
quent abandonment of the party by
thousands of voters as the close of
the contest drew near. Another pro-
gramme- maker thinks that fl ee trade
will not do, but that Tree ships are
essential. Whereupon Delaware halls
him with indignation, and wants to
know if the Republican gain in Will.
mington at the recent election was
not enough.
With the money question it is even
worse. Dangerous as the experiment
was, the party felt compelled to 60
into the Presidential contest with
hard-money professions, knowing
that there would be not a ghost of a
chance for it otherwise in New York,
New Jersey or Connecticut. But that
leaning toward the right cost the par
ty the support of Gresnback voters
in Indiana, in spite of the nomina-
tion of Mr.. Landers, and probably
affected the result in many other
States. A very large proportion ef
the Democratic voters will resist with
intense hostility the financial ideas
which it falsely professed in order to
hold necessary Eastern votes. What
can party hope to do that is COM
PEELED to stake its very existence on
an attempt to make oil and water
mix ?
Of late, having no chance to control
the distribution of Offices itself, the
+ Democratic party has manifested a
considerable access of zeal for Civil
Service reform. But after the Maine
election, when, it was believed by
Democrats that they were going to
divide the offices among themselves,
there was found not one in the ceun-
try who Insisted upon a nen. partisan
Civil Service. In fact, the Democrats
have never shown any other opinion
on that subject than this that their
party, when in power, ought to take
all the offices, and use thetl all for
the success of the party; but that it
was exceedingly base in any other
party, when in power, to use its Off
cial positions at all, or to refuse fair
division of spoils. No man who saw
the throng of hungry and impecuni-
Gus beggars who drifted oyer to Gov
ernor's Island every day during the
last campaign can ever think of
reform of the Civil Service by DEM
ocratic hands except as stupendous
joke.
After a month or two of discussion
and recrimination, it may occur to
some Democrats that their party
does not succeed because it is net a
party at all. 1t has no ideas, no
purposes, no common rallying point;
nothing TO liye for, in SHORTLY, Y.
Tribune.