Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-29
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~ H'stsst.s ho"tuan eaa ctknbn VI
both the republican and democratic
parties are calling loudly upon their
followers TO close up the ranks and
fall Into line for the coming preslden.
tial contest. There i, q loud demand
for party harmony, and q desire
strongly expressed that the lion and
the lamb In each Of the two organlzs'
lions should lie down together. The
principal trouble Is that In both In.
stances the minority lamb Is unwilling
to lie down inside of the majority
lion, while there Is a large class OF
voters who are following very slowly
Ia the wake Of party organizations,
and who show q decided tendency to
desert to the enemy on tho slightest
p~rovocation from their leaders.
There can be no denial of the fact
that the republican party Is more
widely split into factions and shows
signs Of greater dissatisfaction than
the democracy. The wounds Of the
Chicago convention have not yet heal
ed and the political bitterness aroused
during the opening months Of Gen.
Garfeld'slbrief administration, which
was intensified BY his assaasina-
tion still remains. The fifteen hun.
dred thousand republicans who last
fall refused to affiliate with the party
organization have not yet returned to
their party allegiance.
It Is q serious question whether OF
not the great majority Of these will con-
to hold themselves aloof. The
lines along which party harmony is to
orystalize have not yet made them.
selmes Visible. All political history
shows that party dissfiection Is easier
10 foster than to heal, Parties can
be split Into factions. They car
be reunited with difficulty and
only when some common issue OF
gravity presents itself upon
opposing parties disagree.
What Issue Is now before the people
which can call together the shattered
forces7 Certainly not the
.ariff. The debates In the late con.
yress indicated that free trade or ultra
protection cannot become a party Issue
between democrats and republicans.
Both parties are hopelessly divided on
he tariff and both will dodge it's dis.
as far as possible In the coming
national campaign. MOI has the anti
monopoly question been considered by
he leaders. except from an opposition
sufficiently to make that
Issue In the next campaign. All
he history and preoedents of the
'arty oppose the hope that this all
Important subject may be made the
cry to unite the party and
lraw back into allegiance thousands
# voters who allege that monopoly
las for years found nm able ally In re.
,ublicanism. It Ii difficult to say
What steps have been taken by the
machine to remove the
'nags against which the party 90
nearly suffered shipwreck last fall.
The evils Of . corrupted party organ
still exist. Bossism has ap-
parently refused to profit by the les.
Of the election and the indepen-
dent spirit has gained new strength
from Its SUCCESSES.
II one turn to the democratic party,
The same state Of affairs, In . less de-
gree only, L. cen to be existing. The
ensuing session of congress Is full Of
dreadful possibilities to the democrat.
statesmen. The party L. only uni.
ted upon n question and that Is
. unanimous desire to get control of
the Presidency as q means for proour.
Ing plumber and patronage. The Ia.
sue Of O strict or liberal construction
the constitution has disappeared
under q friendly covering of moss.
Capitalization or decentralization Is
no longer q rallying cry. On the Is
sue of the tariff Democracy Is more
badly split up than the Republicans.
The next congress must be used .
m%anufactury for campaign material,
but the Democratic party is brought
face to face with the dreadful certain.
ty that 1t will be compelled to initiate
measures Of reform In the
very shadow of q presidential cleo
ton with Henry Watterson at the head
of n section frantically urging free
trade, and another section In New
York, headed by Abe Hewitt, declar.
Ing that renewed agitation of the tariff
question at this junoture will be poiit.
ioal suicide, the prospect for party
harmony never looked worse, and the
chances Of drawing any large mum
Der Of political proselytss from
the republican raLks Il not snoourag.
ing.
But while In both Of the political
parties the leaders are schemips
to hold together their organizA.
lions among new partisans, the
opinion Is steadily gaining groundthat
the republican and democratic parties
are both too badly demoralizsd tc
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