The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-12-24
namncratic Decay.

the country during the past few years
| is due to no sudden disgust or anger
on the part of the people, but 10 a
settled conviction of Democratic I'M
worthiness-to the decay of the Oem'
ocratic ideas, which, true or false
were once earnestly held and lived up
to. but which are now abandoned at
any moment in favor of supposed
expediency. The country has once
or twice evinced a strong dislike to
the dominant influences in the Re-
publican party. The third-term IN
fluence, for example, was once re-
buked by what was called TIE "tidal
wave" of 1874, when Republican
voters stayed away from the polls'
and gave the elections to the Demo-
Gratis, and reversed the maiorities in
Congress. But when the chastlse'
ment had been administered it was
seen that confidencei in the Democracy
was not the spring of action.
1t has not been. however. any sud-
den revulsion of feeling against the
Democrats that has lost them all that
they gained at that time, and which
is destined to inflict in the near future
still heavier losses upon them. 1t is
a searching and well-fOunded belief
that the Democratic party has no
faith, no convictions, no mission, no
ideas, principles or policy which are
accepted by Democrats. To say that
a man is a Democrat means absolute
~ nothing except that he is not a
Republican. The party has not suffi-
Gent texture to make a good oppo-
sition.
There was a time when the word
democratic" had a distinct mean
ing. 1t meant state rights. as against
the national idea localized govern
ment, as distinguished from CEN
tralized government hard money |;
low tariff, or tariff for revenue only !;
to national appropriations
for internal improvements, or for
rivers and harbors opposition to
grants of all kinds. These ideas may
not be sound, and there are several
of them that are obviously vicious in
theory, but they are all ideas that
men might earnestly hold and cling
to, and be respected in fighting for to
the uttermost. But there is not one
of these ideas that Democrats have
not cast aside during the past ten
years, and which they have not now
either wholly ignored or else simply
written down in platforms as idle
formula. States rights gave way by
the passage in Democratic Congress
ofthe strongest measure of centraliza-
ton that ever appeared in our pol ii.
cal history-the creation of the Ma
tional Board of Health, a measure
which placed in the hands of board
of doctors the power to close the ports
of New Orleans, or Mobile, or Sayan-
nah, with no appeal from their deci-
sion. They abandoned the principle
of localization in favor of centraliza-
ton in its most dangerous form.
Hard-money ideas of the "Old Bull
lion" Benton Democracy rotted away
into Greenbackism, imitation, silver
imitation, and financial folly or bad
faith in any form that it could take.
Tariff for revenue only" is now held
by a small minority of the party, and
the Southern states now demand
"protection" more eagerly than New
England. Internal improvements
are no longer resisted, but Democrats
are eagerly centending in Congress
for appropriations for Improve.
ments'' of their creeks and riyulets.
The most rapacious grabbers of ap-
preparations that the history of the
country has to show haye been Dem
ocratic congresses. If these changes
of Democratic policy represented real
changes of opionion, they would be
better worthy of respect, but they
simply mean the loss of an old faith,
without the gain of a new one. It is
sheerdscay. in which there is no hope
of new vitality.
How can an earnest-minded person
care anything for the success of a par.
ty which has abandoned or bartered
away for appropriations all the ideas
that once made that party respect
able even in its defeats? How can a
Democrat who remembers even the
traditions of Jefferson and jackson,
endure to oe classed with inflation-
lists, appropriation grabbers, triflers
with the public credit and centrali-
zers? And how much worse when,
in addition to all this, he sees the or.
CARNATIONS of the party everywhere
In the hands of combinations of self
seeking men, more intent on tapping
somebody's "bar'l" than on nomi.
mating strong, pure man! The de.
cav of the npnnOcrofic no rtx, ;e - .