The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-12-06
The Democratic Opportunity.

Ii strikes us that our friends the DEM
ocratic leaders and statesmen-who are
just now hurrying into print with their
full disclosures OF the plans and pur-
poses of their party, and their favorite
methods for retaining the confidence of
the people so that the seed of 1882 may
come to a harvest in 18S4-are firing
trifle wild. Here come Immediately on
the heels of this great Democratic sue
cess a considerable troupe of statesmen,
each with his own notion of the mean
ing of the victory and his own idea of
the proper methods for securing and
making permanent the results. Mr..
SaDuei j. Randall, under whose leader
ship when his party was in power the
appropriations were so befogged and
mixed up with deficiency bills as to
make it quite possible for him TO claim
the credit of having effected great re-
trenchment in the expenditures of the
Government, is of the opinion that the
thing to do is to cut down the appro-
priations, exhibit the Democracy to the
country as the party of economy. and
on that record go to the people in 1884.
1t isn't at all strange that he should
view the situation in that light That is
his hobby. If his party takes it up, the
chances are several to one that it will
apostles of the gospel of cheese-paring
retrenchment in the Democratic party
but of all of them Mr.. Randall is chief.
And if retrenchment is to be the issue
for 1884, there is no one filter than he to
lead the hosts.
But here comes Mr. Watterson to the
front with the only real true-blue,
simon-pure, sure-to-work recipe for a
Democratic victory in 1884, in the
shape of a straightforward and manly
adoption of the free-t trade dogma as the
issue. Behind him are Frank Hurd. of
Ohio, Carlisle, Beck and Blackburn. of
Kentucky, Hewitt, Cox and Dorsheimer,
of New York. and stragglers from all
the States. To the Watterson mind the
thing seems perfectly plain. The party,
according to his notion, did not suffer
defeat in 1880 because the tariff-for-
revenue plank was in the platform, but
because the party leaders got fright
ened in the midst of the canvas, and,
fearing the effect upon the voters,
undertook to explain it away. What
the party wants, according to the Wat
terson theory, is simply the courage of
its convictions. 1t should set itself
right before the people upon this ques-
ton at its first pportunitY-which will
come with the opening of the next Con-
gress-and thereon boldly go to the
country as the open advocates of free
trade. or in the milder phrase in which
they put it, of tariff for revenue only.
According to the leaders of this class of
Democratic politicians, the great need
of the party is an agreement upon a
fixed and definite economic policy, and
that policy must be the traditional free
trade poli,y of the party. se
Other democratic leaders talk in a
vague way about the necessity for the
party's being on its good behavior and
do ng nothing to offend the public SEN
timent which has lifted the party into
power, but without going into specifica-
tions. A noteworthy feature of al their
talk about the means to be adopted to
insure the continuance of public conf
dence, and thereby secure some perma-
nent fruits of the victories just gained,
| is the entire absence of any suggestion
regarding the reform of the public serv-
ice. About this and the assessment OF
office-holders there is great deal OF
loose and aim'ess talk, and the Demo
cratic party out of power has made nc
end OF talk with regard to these abuses
and the need of reform. Now that the
party has been taken at its word and
led up by the people to its opportunity
| to do something, we hear very little
about it. Now the Tribune is anxious
| for good government and honest ad.
m uistration. In this view it does moi
hesitate to point out the Democratic op'
por unity, and in its belief the only op-
| portunity the party has. to gain any per.
manentresults from the recent successes
Let the party abolish-effectually and
in such way that there can be nc
doubt about it in the public mind-the
system of assessing its own officeholders.
Let it begin right here in the CITY o.
New York Then let it initiate Civil
service Reform by refusing to make re
movals from Office on partisan grounds
or to make appointments except aftel
examination and upon the score o.
merit, fitness and capacity.
We honestly believe that if the Demo
cratic party should do this in gooC
faith, in the present condition of the
public mind. it would retain its vantage
ground to such a degree that nothing
could hinder its carrying the country
overwhelmingly in 1884. OF this we
are confident. But we are equally con
fident of another thing-to wit, that
the party has neither the honesty mo-
the pluck to undertake it. 1t vii
putter over retrenchment and wrangl,
over the tariff and leave all its Civil
service Reform promises unful6lled
And after it has sufficiently disclosed
its insincerity and hypocrisy, the peo
| n1a will call hack IN rowar the Onl,