Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-03-18
lallraster frlteIIiqerlcer.
THURSDAY EVENING, MARcH1e, 1890.

EVENING, MARcH1e,1 1880.
That is Where We Stand.
A great many people are watching with
eager solicitude the action of the Demo
cratic state central committee in Pitts
burgh to-day, in the belief that what it
does will in some manner affect the atti-
tude of the Pennsylvania Democracy on
the presidential question; and whatever
it does, there will be people quick to
interpret it as significant of a Randall
victory" or "a Wallace victory" ga
Tilden triumph" or "a score against
Tilden." Now we have no idea that
anything this committee may do will de-
serve any such importance to be attached
to it; and, without the slightest knowl-
edge of who will attend the meeting or
what those present may agree upon, we
do not believe that it matters very greatly
where or when the state convention
meets, so that it is convened at an acces-
sible place and at a time long enough
before the national convention to give
the delegates-elect due notice and not so
early as to prevent the Democracy of
every district from electing their dele
gates in the manner that best conforms
to precedents and preserves the rights of
the party masses.
With respect to the place of meeting
we see it stated that /" the Tilden men
insist on Pittsburgh the anti-Tilden
men want Harrisburg" which declara-
tions are quite as credible as most of the
stuff that goes the rounds about the
status of the so-called factious war
in the Democratic party of Penn
sylvania. For Mr.. James p. Barr, who
is about the most pronounced Tilden
man in Pennsylvania, has over and over
again said that he thinks the state con-
vention should alway be held at the state
capital, and Mr.. Randall, who is credited
with the management of Mr.. Tilden's
interests, is reliably reported as thinking
that Pittsburgh is too far west and that
either Altoona, Williamsport, Reading,
Harrisburg or Lancaster is a more desir-
able place of meeting.
Indeed the talk about this state COM
mittee meeting very we'll exemplifies
that most of the chaff about the rival
leaders and the contending factions of
the party in this state is mere sound and
fury. For ourselves we have always
held that the Democratic party of Penn
sylvania is entirely too large to be
slowed away and carried comfortably
in anybody's breeches pocket. Its in
terests are far too important to be sacri-
feed for any mans wishes or aspira-
tions. Its head is entirely too firmly set
for it to be led very far out of its path,
even by any so-called "leaders - and
it never fails to resent and repudiate any
leadership that undertakes to use it for
the promotion of selfish personal inter
eStS.
Mr.. Randall and Mr.. Wallace are the
two representatives of the Pennsylvania
Democracy who now occupy the highest
political positions, and for this reason it
has become fashionable to marshal op.
posing forces under their names; and to
attempt to drive everybody who has the
manliness to cherish and express free
thought into faction called by one of
these names or the other. There is nc
good reason for any such distinction.
Neither of these gentlemen, nor any two
or three or half-dozen others scarcely
less prominent in the party, or all com.
bined, is big enough to assert mas
terry over majority of the Democratic
party in Pennsylvania, and it has hap
pened, in proof of this, that every time
such claim has been made the party ha:
promptly set its seal of disapprobatior
upon the pretension by unhorsing tht
very one who made it, or in whose be
half superserviceable lackeys made it.
The INTELLIGENCER is for peace ant
for harmony, for unity and concord no
for such as are secured by the compro
mise of wrong or the abandonment O
principle, but for that honorable and ag
gressive unity which calls erring, incon
Sistent leaders to account whenever i
considers them wrong and rebukes error
in its own party as fearlessly and un
flinchingly as it denounces them in tn,
opposition.
When Mr.. Randall took the congress.
sional back pay we denounced the act ir
unmistakable terms; when Mr.. Wallac,
voted for the nine million bill, we ex
pressed our condemnation in Language
not less plain ; when Mr.. Randall seem
ed to us to not have exhausted his con
stitutional powers to prevent the fraudu
lent electoral count, we criticised him a
we thought was just :; when Mr.. Wal
lace favored the Texas Pacific subsidy
We maintained that he did not fairly rep
resent his constituents when Mr.. Ran
dali took what appeared to be too mar
row View in making up his committee
we said so !; when Mr.. Wallace opposed
Mr.. Randall's election as speaker OF
what seemed to us to be purely persona
grounds, not approved by the Pennsyl
vania Democracy, we told the truth t.
him and about him and now that he i
reported to have "advised and consent
ed' to Kerns's confirmation by votin,
for it after he said Kerns is " represen
tative of the very worst elements of Phil
adelphia Republican politics." and "
shall feel that the Senate is faithless to it