New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-19
THE DEu0CRA7IC REC0RD.

i nt lJtuiONIhtlN Itii'SJ "i''i '"''''''@ 80
legislative duties. is about to meet i'll COnvcn-
ton. Either by its choice OF candidates or by
resolutions, it is expected to tell the country
what it means to do. The voters of this
country are practical folks. They do not need
to know that the Democratic party was i'll favor
of slavery or opposed to reconstruction. That
it was hostile to national hanhS many years
ago and is still hostile to every means 10y which
the credit or power of the Nation may be tX-
tended and maintained, tine people know al
ready. They do not need to be told that the
Democratic party is exceedingly angry about
the decision Of the electoral c0ntcS, in 1876,
because great many Demo rats were thereby
excluded from fat offices which they had been
promised. Cutlery about the great fraud Is
expected, and the people regard II as the
natural lamrntation of persons who tired to
steal the Presidency and failed. The people
want to know what the Democratic party pro
poses to do, if successful, abont practical aud
living questions. What do thcy mean to do
about the election laws the protection Of cul-
zrnS, the currency, the banhs. the bonds oi the
Nation, the tarn, the railroads, the tcrgraplIS.
and the payment of wal claims \ ;ri' vance
will not 20 far to win the support of practical
people to party which has no purpose, or only
a bad purpose, with regard to the living qucs-
lions of the day.
The conduct of the Democratic party III Con
grcss has made explanation necessary. 1t has
tried to sweep away election laws. 1t has
refused to protect citizens. i has tried To de-
base the currency, to destroy the national banks
and to rum the public credit by paying bonds
III deprecated paper or SILVER. Ii has talked
arrant nonsense about the tariff, but has dared
to do nothing. 1t has racd loudly about rail
way and telegraph monopocS, but has neither
done nor tiled to do anything to better the re-
lati0ns of the people TItl the corporations.
Hence the people will look to the action OF the
Convention. 1t is right to add that the people
will dcspisc and defeat the PATTY, if it gives the
lie by It's nominations to the professions OF its
PLATFORM
1t is not hard to anticipate what th" plat
form will promise. Putting ASIDE empty shrcks
over the failure of the party to steal the PrcSi-
dcncy in 1876, and rant about troops at the
"p0ls," winch every voter ought tO know
have no relation to any existing state of facts,
the platform will probably oppose Federal SUI
pcrv,i0n of elections assert that States alone
have any business to protect citizens, and shilk
every other practical question as carefully rs
Democrats in Congress have Shirkrd them. II
anything is said about the currency, il Will have
a soft money tendency. If anything is said
about the banks, il will look to the cippling or
abolition of the national system. II anything
is said about the tariff, it will look to Il speedy
and sweeping revolution against the measures
under which important industries have been
Developed. But it is not unlikely that the Con-
Il. l,.. H.
with cunning and c0wardicc. viii this have
any cflcct9 Tine people will lock to the acts Of
the party They will see hostility to resumption
and sound currency maHii slrd III hundreds Of
votes. They VIII sec that Democrats have
voted, by Overwhelming manitcs, to brtak
down the national banks to pas the bonds in
deprecated paper or silver. and to make sIch
reckless changes ia the taril rs would PROSTATE
many great ildustrs. They Will ste that the
Democratic party has made no effort to restrict
the power Of corporations, even when thit
power has been abused. In Iarl, they Will judge
tie party by what it has done or refused to do,
treating It's resolutions with contempt The
country has not forgotten how the Democratic
party made haste to break nearly every pledge
in its platform of 1876, is soon as the election
was over.
In the end, then, the acts Of the party VIII
determine the Judgment of The people, except
Ing as those acts may be newly Interpreted by
the choice of candidates. Unless Thu, modified,
that Judgment will be this Reckless and rcvO-
lntionary wherever it las Il selfish end to gain ;
hostile TO the National idea and to all agencies
for the development and unlcitOn of the |
National life dishonest in IT'S dealing with all |
questions Of public faith, an cJwardly in its |
evasion of practical qIcslionS not directly in |
yovimg partisan success. The people will not |
trust the Democratic party unless this judgment |
ran be greatly changed IL can only be |
changed if at ALL by nominations at war with |
The spirit Of the party.
But what will the people conclude, if n0tO-
-ious buyer of votes is put up to represent Il
Iary proicsSc ny hostile 10 fraud in elections |
What will they conclude if hard money man
maniacs OF paper money ana silver
.onage7 What will they conclude if Il pro-
csselly Frcc-Tradc party dominates an ayOwcd
like Mr.. RlndaIlY What will
hey say if party pretending to seek prOtec
ion of the people against corporations nOmi-
lales well-knOwn railroad men, bankers, and
capitalists, like Messrs. Jcwctt, English,
PAYNE, DIR. Green, of the Western
Union, or Bamum, the mule -buycr2
What will men think Of a party which
ives the lie to its professions by choos.
ng a candidate whose whole life has been one
# hostility to them7 The peculiar difficulty of
he Democratic party ut Cincinnati vii lie light
ere. 1t cannot select a candidate who has the