National Republican., 1880-07-26
Tho pemocrntic Platform.

To The Editor of The National Republican,:
SIR: Allow me now TO call the attention
of your readers to section 3 of tho Cincinnati
platform. Here it is:
Home rule, honest money, consisting OF gold
and silver and paper convertible TO coin on de-
mand; a strict maintenance of the public faith,
state and national, and tarif for revenue only.
Home rule in Ireland has u definite mean
ing, but what idoa is to be attached to the
phrase in American politics, it will, ] think,
puzzle even DR.. Watterson himself to explain.
Perhaps it is intended to catch Irish votes.
The Irish arc famous for bulls, but nobody,
unless it be democratic patform'makers, has
taken them to be fools. This is all there is TO
this "homerule" question.
The democratic party, having made a COM
plete circuit Of political heresies on tho cur.
rency question, has, in 1880, adopted a sound
financial plank in its platform. Honest
money, consisting of gold and silver and
paper convertible to coin ou demand" This
is good, sound financial doctrine. II has
always been the doctrine of the republican
party. This is also true of Mr.. Watterson, of
the Louisville C0mier.Journal, who is credited
with the authorship of the Cincinnati plat.
form. But who knows that this Is to-day the
doctrine of the democratic party2 Who
knows that the democratic luminares which
shine as stars of the first magnitude in the
nolitical armament accept itP Where do
Thurman, Pendleton, Hendricks, Voorhees,
and hundred other bright and shining lights
stand
But this is not all. If tho entire party
should swear allegiance to the doctrine, who
knows how long il would adhere to it? For
twenty-five years the party has given no firm
adherence TO any principle or consistent pol.
icy. Take this very question Of the cur
rency, and, in regard to it, tho democratic
party has advocated a variety of irrecOucila-
bic propositions. In 1861 tho democracy de-.
nounced greenbacks as an unconstitutional
currency. 1t was rags rags nothing but
rags % The republican party justified its
financial policy at that time only upon tho
ground Of necessity. II was done to save the
lifo Of the nation, upon the old Roman prin-
ciple that inter arala silent lc7es, No rcpubli.
can advocated it as u permanent policy But
tho democratic convention at New York in 1868,
in which Winfield Scott Hancock received lii4
votes, declared "the public debt of the United
States ought in right and Justice to be paid in
the lawful money Of the United States" that
is, in greenbaclSs In 1861 greenbacEs were
an unconstitutional curreucyi in 1865 they were
tho lawful currency of the United States"
Tho convention at Baltimore, by which
Greeley was nominated, stultifed this record
by declaring that THE public debt must be
sacrodly maintained, and We denounce repu-
dation in every form aud guisc" In 1865
the party demanded the payment of the bonds
in greenbacls In 1872 it donouuces such pay.
mont as form of repudiatiou. In 1876 tho
convention at ST. Louis denounced the flnan.
cial imbocility Of the republican party because
It made no progress toward resumption, aud in
the face Of that denunciaton denounced tho
resumption clause Of the act of 1876 as a hin.
drance to resumption. Tho convention had
no Affirmative principles ofits own to set forth.
In 1850 the party comes out squarely Tor honest
money,
Now, this is simply a record of tho vacil-
lating policy of tho democratic party on the
financial question 1t has been equally so on
all ather questions, What does all this vOcil-
lation moan2 Is II any evidence Of an honest
devotion to any principle or policy whatever
Does il not rather show q willingness to be.
come all things to all men for the sake OF
Officer This whifling party now comes for,
ward aud asks the people to place il in power
Why should the people desire a change in
the administration This nation has pros
pered under republican rule as 1t never pros.
pered before. We ask again, why should the
people desire a change? w.