The Republican journal., 1882-07-20
THE OLD TIME DEMOCRACY.


party of Maine from which we copy the
followin9
THE OLD TIME DEMOCRACY.
Once upon a time there was a demo-
cratic party in Maine. 1t is not easy for
men of this generation to tell when that
party came into being, or what it did,
but this, at least, is certain, it did some
thing it won victories. The State had
a democratic Governor; always after
there was a democratic party. until the
exceptional years of 1887 and 1910, when
Edward Kent came to the front, but, with
those years left ont, no Whig, no live
enemy of .he democratic party ever
reached the gubernatiOnal chair until
William G. Crosby attained it in 1853 In
1855 Samuel Wells, a democrat, was
elected Governor, although he received
tewervotes than his principal competitor,
and, after that everto- aforementioned
year. Maine had no democratic Governor
until GaTcelon, in 1873, received some
thing like - per cent. of the popular
vote and was made chief magistrate
legally, although more than IS per cent.
OF his fellow citizens had voted against
him. Everybody KNOWS What end the
GarcelOn administration came to, though
few people know how it came to that
end. There has never been q democratic
party in Maine since and
PERHAPS THERE VIII NEVER AGAIN
BE ONE.
But it still goes through the tormaIities
of holding conventions and nominating
candidates, and all these little nexpen-
siye operations which enable men to get
their names in the papers without cost,
and keep those names before the public,
so that away ahead-a thousand years
ahead, perhaps when the democracy
comes in power, these same gentlemen
will be ''on deck as some OF the youth
say, and ready for any office there
may be for distribution. TO return
10 the question where did that party
go! The last time the democrats stood
up to be counted was in 1870, when
Alonzo Garcelon got 2!,S5l votes, a
large part Of those who should have
! supported him having given their sut-
frages for Joseph l.. Smith.
BUT THIS YEAR
certain grccnhackers have repudiatpd
anything like fusion with wicked demo
Gratis, and certain other greenbackers
having taken What they considered a
very dignitied, is we'll is independent
| stand, it rested with tile great, glorious
old democratic party the party OF
Jefferson and Jackson and others
Tom, Dick, Harry, ct ais, to say What
it would do, but it said nothing eNccp,
to ask the alleged greenback party what
it wanted, and to conform to the answer,
Just think of it. Here was this party,
claiming to be the representative of the
nation, assembled in convention t. start
a campaign which will lie watched every
where, and whose first battle will be de
cided in September. But that party. 50
far as could be iudged from its delegates,
had no ideas nothing at all in its mind
except to fail in and help anybody who
had pluck and prospects. What did they
do? Nominate for Goyernm a green
backer who never voted Il democratic
ticket in his life. although his hair is
white with years, and tor Congress three
greenhackers and one democrat, and
that democrat 4 man who had sworn he
would not be candidate in any way \
proud position for a great party, Is it
not
Brr ms PARTY HAD y PLATFORM,
and reatlirmed it, AS thcy sal. at its Lew
iston convention the other day That
convention adopted platform which is
! beautiful to gaze upon, but hardly sub
stantiai enough to bear the heavy tread
of 4 party marching toward victory,
lhja platform, OF course, appeals to the
supposed DemOcr IS OF Maine for their
support, and sets forth 10 resolutions,
which ought 10 mean something, but do
not, all Of them. Hon. B0n Bradbury,
silver haired, clean, courteous gentleman.
beloved by his party and respected by all
parties, presented the resolutions, and the
convention very naturally adopted them
without a word. What was this plat
form? First bribery at elections was
denounced It very righteous denuncia-
ton, toO--but the men who took Demo-
cratic money for voting the Democratic
ticket in 1886, us the writer OF this saw
men do, will simply
SMOKER WHEN THEY READ THE EESo-
LrTIoNN
and say "Bon knows how to put these
things torcibIy, doesn't he Z" There is
bribery, and ii is 4 great and growing
evil, but a party whose leaders had 50
much money 70 spend in the last cam
paign that they didn't know how to spend
it, isn't going to win many voters by such
talk. The platform recognizes the fact
that the people do want and demand 4
reformation oi the civil service of the
government that they do not believe in
assessing the men (and women and chill
dren) who happen to be employed by the
whole people, instead of by one man or
one corporation, to pay the campaign en-
nenses Of a party. But the old veterans
who held custom houses and post offices
and taxed their SubOrdinates away back
into the Democratic golden age before
Lincoln's day, smiled quietly and deco
r0usly, as becomes men of their years.
when the eloquent Mr.. Bradbury read
this resolution. They couldn't help it
when they remembered the glories of the
past, and the thought Of the golden pos
sibilitIes of the future.
THE MOST PLAYED OCT PARTY THE
WORLD EVER SAW.
The simple truth is, the democratic
party in Maine has no heart, no conscience,
no courage and this latter deficiency is
the worst ofall. Nobody can 60 to Maine
to-day and find among the party leaders
one who looks for or even hopes for, sue
cess in September. WHY else did Sam
Anderson, the strongest and cleanest OF
them all Qeaving his war record out OF
the account, as it is everywhere left out
day., why else did he decline to
run for Congress again Because he was
a hard money man on 4 soft money plat
form, and had no enthusiasm for the fight
in that body Of his which used to hold an
enthusiastic soul. 1t is well enough to
argue, as he does, that the other fellows
have all the money and are bound to win,
but men who have heart in their work
don't wait to count chances. They 90
IN fora fight. The op-heavy democracy
of Maine have no stomach for fight.
They prefer to play second fiddle to the
third-class greenbackers who could not
come to the front while SOlOn Chase was