New-York tribune., 1882-04-19

|
ment under the obligation to sustain them at
all hazards in whatever irregular or lawless
enterprises they might engage against other
nations They neither seek nor expect IT, ANA
they are by nc means so clannlsh or 80 narrow
| as to permit themselves to be imposed upon by
such appeals to their passions or such expert
ments upon their supposed ignorance as Mr..
Voorhees, indulges in. The Indiana dema-
eogue. talking to a few Land Leaguers in the
Galleries was heard by thousands OF lr1shmen
who can easily distinguish between blarney
and common sense. And one of these days he
will lird out that he overdid it.
| |
| DEMOCRACY And POPULAR SENTIMENT.
In an article relating to the efforts now max
ing to reorganize the Democratic party OF
Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Eagle remarks that
for nearly twenty years in this city the Demo-
"cratc party has not been controlled by any
thing worthy of the name of expressed popular
sentiment" The Eagle might have gone fur
ther. What it alleges concerning Brooklyn Is
| equally true of Democracy in general. Ihat
party as rule, for the last quarter OF cen
tury, the country over, has not been controlled
| bv ANYTHING worthy of the name of expressed
popular sentiment. 1t is a grave Indictment,
| bat It will stand.
The war found the worst elements of Democ-
racy in control. If respect had been paid to
expressed popular sentiment and thousands
of Democrats contributed to the formation of
that sentiment-the party would have escaped
| the faint of Copperheadism it would have de-
| clined to pronounce the war failure; 1t would
not have resisted the emancipation proclama-
/
| tion A section OF the Democratic party was
loyal during the war. 1t was known distnc-
lively as the War Democracy. The War
| Democracy differed from the disOyal faction
of the party in responding, with the entire Re-
publican party, to "eXpressed popular sentl-
ment.r The rest Of the Democracy-the bulk
of twas controlled by those who preferred to
| follow the dictates of partisanshp rather than
| those of patriotism, even at time that tired
mems souls. And so, tOo after the war. In all
the States from Maine to Mexico there were
| Democrats to be found at every turn who were
| Jealous of their country's financial standing.
| But again the worst element i'll the party
! gained the ascendency. 1t dictated the Ma
| tional platform of 1868, and the consequence
was that Democracy is on record as having
placed a plank i'll that platform which advo-
Gated breaking faith with the Nations creditors
"a proposition which was strongly condemned
by expressed popular sentiment" The course
of the Democratic majority in Congress a few
years ago furnishes another illustration of this
| truth Again the War Democrats fretted and
fumed and protested as they witnessed the at
tempt made by their representatives at Wash
| ingtOn to starve the Government to death.
These were in harmony with expressed pOpu-
| tbot. ant fnf.
again, as often before, it was the destructives
in the party who had the reins, and they are
always reckless enough to defy popular senti-
ment Coming down to this year, why has the
Democratic party of New-York lost the advan-
| tagc which it possessed at the beginning OF the
yearl Tie reason Is plain. 1t has lost it by
acting in culpa6le disregard of anything
"worthy of the name of expressed popular SEN
| tmentr The deadlock and the disgraces at
| tending it would never have occurred but for
| the fact that the members constituting the
majority of the Legislature declined to respond
to popular sentiment, prcferring to stand well
| with certain self-constituted managers than
with the people.
1t is not easy to account for the fatal fOndness
of the Democratic party fOr bucking its head
| against the stone wall of "expressed popular
sentiment Perhaps the best explanation is
that its leadership as a rule, has been either
| weak or wicked, or both. Many of the amazing
| bunders that mark its career are not charge
able upon the rank and file of the party. They
have meant well. They have desired to obey
expressed popular sentiment" But their in
tentions have gone for naught The bosses
have moulded the party's policy and dictated
its nominations and they have acquesced.
We are glad to be assured by The Eagle that
there has been revival among the Democrats
of Brooklyn, and that hereafter we may expect
| them to have respect for expressed popular
sentiment" If they live up to their quickened
and clarified convictions of duty the Demo
cratic machine in Kings County, like sundry
political machines in other counties of this
State is doomed to destruction