New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-22
IVFDDED TO THE PAST.


cratic comments ION Mr.. WattersOn's recon-
mendation that the press of the party ought to
drop the past and try to establish connection
with the present One Democratic editor asks
if he wishes to have the party confess outright
that all the Republicans have accomplished
during the past quarter of a century has been
for the public good If so. he does not sec
what excuse the Democracy Will have for con-
tinuing its existence. This question goes di-
rectlv to the foundation of things. If the
Democratic party has been steadily wrong for
quarter of century, and has just found 1t
out. its confession will hardly he considered a
convincing argument for trusting it with
power. This is probably the reason why 1t
goes back to the days of Jefferson and jackson
for something which it can point to with pride.
1t is easy for Mr.. WatterSOn to say that
the past ought to be dropped, and the present
taken lid. But how are the Democrats to get
hold of the present when the Republicans are
in Dossession Several of the Democratic
statesmen, whosu oral or written sentiments
were displayed at the recent Chicago banquet,
tried to get grip on some living issue and the
result was extremely edifyng. Mr.. Waiter
son, as we have seen, grasped stoutly at free
trade Did Mr.. Tilden do the same7 Not in
the usual sense of the term. lie declared him
self in favor of reforming and restoring the
Government from the inside, which undoubt-
edly meant free trade of all the offices from
Republican to Democratic hands. That is
always a living issue with the Democratic
party, and it was loudly proclaimed in the last
campaign under the guise of demand for
change" Still, if we remember rightly, it
was not q very live issue when the campaign
ended. Mr.. Seymour's grip on the present was
| even more feeble than Mr.. Tildcn's. He COM
municated to the club the valuable information
| that in 1740 the territory OF the lroquOis In
dams "extended from line running east and
| west through the present State of North Caro-
lima to the region north of the great lakes, and
| " from the Atlantic coast TO the Mississippi
| River to point at the mouth of the Illinois
River, and from thence nOrtherly along that
| stream and the west shore of Lake Michigan"
| Prophecy of all kinds, including that the
weather and politics, is always risky, but we
| feel only slight hesitation in predicting that
the territory of the Iroquos Indians will not
be the leading issue in the next Presidential
campaign. Mr.. Hendricks was no more sue
| cessful He wandered over the entire surface
of the United States in search of an issue
which he could get hold of, but this was all he
had to show for his journeyings when he came
to sum up: "Our journey has now ended.
What have we observed? This we can say:
= Our country is great and strong because it has
"a great and strong population" That is a
great truth, stated with beautiful simplicity.
A babe could understand it without violent
mental exerton Still, as nobody will attempt
to controvert it, we are not able to see how
Presidential contest can be waged about it.
The three statesmen whom we have quoted
are the acknowledged leaders of their party.
All of them have been on their party's Presi-
Dental tickets, and all of them live in perpetual
hope of being put there again. All the first one
can say about the present or the future of his
party is to talk about REFORM" when the very
mention Of that word by him puts the country
upon broad grin. All the second one can do
is to define the boundaries of a tribe of Indians
who lived in 1740; and all the third one can
do is to utter platitudes and cheap rhetoric
about the size of the country. In view of these
performances Mr. Watterson will be wise to let
his party sit in the graveyard and groan over
its dead heroes. 1t has become used to the sur
roundngs there, and does not feel at home any
where else.