New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-16
No pLArFoRM NECESSARY.

We venture TO suggest to the Democrats q
new departure for their campaign next year
Their greatest and most difficult problem IS
evidently going to be the construction OF plat
form which will stand the wear and tear OF
the campaign. In $50 the platform instead Of
helping them was the cause Of their ruin.
When they found out that it was hurting them
they tried TO jump of and run the canvass with
ont it, bat that scheme was not a success
They could not get away from the platform.
They do not want to get into similar scrape
in 1884, and yet they are certain to IL they
adopt platform OF the stereotyped order with
series of declarations. All their old declara-
tions have been tried and found unpopular; still
they contain everything which the party holds
dear. If they attempt any new declarations
they will construct them in such way rs 70
seem 10 express one thing and mean another
Declarations of that sort always danger
Gus and are more likely to do harm than good
Besides, they deceive nobody.
of what advantage would it be to the party,
for example, to put into the platform straddle
on the tariff question Everybody knows that
the party is in favor OF tree trade and Will
abolish protection if it is intrusted with
power. In regard to civil service reform, also,
what use would there he in making any deciar-
alton? If plank were to he inserted In favor
of reform, everybody would know 1t was
worthless If one were inserted against it, II
would simply be the unnecessary confession OF
a notorious and undoubtedly damaging truth.
These two questions are destined to be the
leading issues of the next campaign, and VIII
be the only planks in the party platforms which
will have any influence. IL the Democrats
had the courage of their convictions and were
willing to define their real attitude in the plat
form, they would say: Rcsotred, That we are
in favor of free trade and against all civil serv-
icereform, except that which Turns over all the
offices to the Democrats If they would make
a platform, like that and go into the campaign
with it, they would be beaten, but they would
have the unusual salts faction of knowing that
they had been manly and honest.
We have no idea that they will do this, and as
the next best plan for them to follow, we vent
ure to suggest that they go into the campaign
with no platform at all. There never was
party which needed platform less. Every
body knows precisely what the Democracy
stands for, and precisely what its aims are. 1t
stands for a @change," and its aims are all
IL it has any other principles, except free trade.
we do not know what they are. Any kind of a
platform which expresses what Judge Hoadly
calls new and living" principles will not only
be a feeble fraud, but it will be in danger OF
getting the candidate into trouble with the rank
and file of the party by awakening suspicion
that he may take the declarations in earnest
and leave the boys out In the cold after 9e has
been put in Office. 1t will be great deal
simpler for the party to go into the fight with
out any platform whatever. merely appealing
to the country to put the Democrats in power
on their merits. Let all resolutions be thrown
TO the winds, and the war-cry he Rah for
Change! Give us a Clean Sweep" That
would make an uncOmmonly interesting can
vass, and for once the Democracy would have
platform that they would not have to run
away from as soon as the campaign got hot