New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-18
NE1r LHSTES UlNTED.

register carry
NETT ISSUES UANTFD.
"Japhet in search of father did not
have as hard a time, nor was he compelled to
face as many vicissiudcs, as tie Democratic
party in its search for an issue. To the
weaker brethren it does not seem absolutely
necessary that the party should have anything
in particular to fight for except the spoils. But
Democrats of stature enough TO be leaders, and
whose wits have been sharpcned by the mean-
cbolv experiences of twenty years of defeat per-
cciye that the party has not single chance
of success through any personal popularity Of
its prominent men, or any liking OF the people
for its ancient ideas In order to succeed, in
order to have one chance in ten OF success,
indeed, the party must have some defined prin-
cipIe or purpose which matches the popular
temper. Moreover, the Democratic party
must be able, as to that new issue,
to catch the Republican party in an lndcien-
sble and unpopular position. For fifteen years
or more, the Democracy mas been Scarch.ng
in VAN for Such an issue. The successive
failures which it has met are fresh in the mem
or. When "Tiidcn and Reform was
its battle-cry, it almost succeeded not so
much because the country had especial
faith in the Democratic party as reforming
agent as because the North had not yet
fully appreciated the means 10y which thc
South was being made "soid." Since that
discovery has been made, there has been no
possibility of Democratic success except upon
issues quite different from those which have
hitherto divided parties. The Democratic
platform in New-York is sort of fish
ing excursion for new issues and the utter
indifference with which it has been received
by the people does not indicate that the OK
cursion is likely to end III catching anything
except defeat.
There are four questions upon which public
interest does exist and public opinion is to
some extent divided. These concern the taTit,
the finances, the Civil Service and the railroads.
An attempt was made last year to bring the tariff
question forward. The result was that while
Republicans were entirely united in refusing
such a change of tariff rs the Democratic party
might have proposed there developed
within the Democratic party so wide
and bitter difference Of opinion that
even General Haucock's pucrc letter was
hailed as a relief and the fight ended in
a rout Prior to the election the Demo
Gratis did not dare to take any position in re-
gard to the finances. BY their majority in
Congress last winter they prevented rciunding
and made war upon the national banking svs-
TEN. The result was a panic 50 quick and
sharp that it may be doubted whether the
party will dare TO move in that di
rcction again. In respect to the Civil
Service, when they had a working ma-
-, 1t ,f tt,a
Democrats were particularly careful not to
adopt any measure which might restrain or
en,barrass them after their expected capture of
Executive power. They have made it mani
fest that they have no desire to make real re-
forms, except when the Republicans are in
power, and public opinion has wisely con-
Guided that they will be much more efficient
in promoting that sort Of reform if they have
nothing to do with the disposition OF the
Offices.
The latest experiment of the Democratic
stratcgists is in the direction Of Governmental
interference with railway corporations. IN
this quarter, as in others, there are evils which
ought to be rcmcdied. There is also strong
public Opinion-possbly strong enough in
a few States to control thcm-which
holds that existing evils cannot be
remedied except by an exercise of Fed
eral authority. Mr.. Black, who may be
considered the patentee of this political device
in its latest phase conceives that the Repub-
lican party can be successfully assaed as the
tool of corporations and the defender of all
corporate abuses, and that the Democratic
party can make itself the victorious champion
of the people against the tyranny of corpora
tons. This notion is a little more stupid than
the other blunders with which Democratic his
tory is so thclly studded.
There are not only one but several insuper-
able obstacles to the success of such political
experiment The first is that State interfer-
ence has been tried by the Changers, and
its demonstrated failure has broken the
confidence of intelligent people in the eff
cacy of Government for the control or
regulation of transportation. If practical
business men and farmers proved absolutely
incapable, in trying to deal with this compli-
Gated problem, what could be expected from a
Congress of Democratic politicians But,
second, free competition has proved meal
culably more powerful for the reduction
of rates, the overthrow of discrimina-
tons, the breaking of pools, and the
removal OF abuses than anybody ever
imagined that Government could be. These
considerations lead reasonable men in both