The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-03-30
Reorganizing the Party.
The Chicago "Times's" Effort to Regener-
ate the Democracy.

The Chicago Times, which advocates the re-
organization of the Democratic party. pub
fishes correspondence giving interviews with
prominent Democrats throughout the country
as to the future of their party. 1t summarizes
two pages of these letters by saying that there
are few who have the courage to declare them.
selves in favor of a new birth. Their express
sion is not encouraging to those patient people
who have been hoping against hope that Bour-
bonism was dying, and that the era of po ltical
regeneration was about to dawn upon the De-
mocracy The current of opinion sets strongly
against the disintegration of the party, and
scarcely the faintest echo of the wall of de-
spair that went up when Hancocks defeat
was announced is now heard. Disgust for
the old is not as strong as disgust for every
thing new There are a few who have the bold
ness to say: "Think it would be good thing
ii the Democratic party could be born again."
But their views lack the vigor and force ex-
hl6lted when men are desperately in earnest,
and there is not the slightest danger that they
Will lnaugurate an insurrection even on the
tariff question. The Democrats are widely at
variance in the West. The prevailing senti-
ment Is outspoken advocacy of a low tariff or
Tree trade, but when a manufacturing centre
lS approached pf0tectlOn is favored.
In Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas Illi-
nois and Wisconsin the Democrats have little
hesitation in declaring for a tariff for revenue
only; but in parts of Michigan, Indiana and
ONO the sentiment is exactly the reverse, and
communities only q few miles apart hold
view radically different. In Pennsylvania
Maryland and New England a Democratic pol
itlclan tries to believe that the tariff question
is one that should not be permitted to enter in
TO national contests. The preponderance of
opinion from the South is also against an agi-
tation of the Tariff question. Southern Dem
ocrats have little hope of success for their par
ty in the next Presidential campaign, but still
they stick to the grand old party organization
The names of very few men Of national rep
utatlon appear among those interviewed. Dan
lei Dougherty of Philadelphia, who nominated
General Hancock, was opposed to any change
IN the organization or principles of the party
that had record as good as that of any party
that ever existed and was daily growing strong
er He was in favor of protection.
Hon. Charles Thompson OF Massachusetts
ridicules the idea of abandoning the Demo-
1884.
Daniel 7. Pike of Maine is not in favor of
the abandonment of any of the cardinal princi-
the next Presidency and the making of tae
tariff question PROMINENT issue.
Hon. ii. X. Wade of Ohio said the Demo
cratic party was defeated by its war on the ma
tlonai banks. I'VE have the bess bankingsys-
tenn that the world has ever seen. The tariff
question will also split and ruin the party"
General I'll. III. Sibley, father of the Democrat
lc party in Minnesota, said: 81 am strongly
In favor OF maintaining the Democratic name
and organization and of making the next
Presidential canvass on the issue Of tariff for
revenue only" Hon. J. FL. Oberly of Illinois
said: 81 believe in the maintenance of the
Democratic organization" William H. Eng
glish of Indiana said: 81 know of no good rea-
son why the Democratic organization should
be abandoned. The tariff ought to be the is
sue in the next campaign" Senator German
OF Maryland is emphatically opposed to
change of name and advocates the old plat
form of a tariff for revenue only.