The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-03-14
LET THE DEMOCRACY READ.
Nashville American

4 Nashville American.
The Courier Journal of yesterday
commences an article on its new dis
covery, "a tariff for revenue only"
as follows:
Ii Is not uncommon TO hear an ex-
preston something like the following
fall from Democratic iipsi II believe in
the doctrine Of tariff for revenue only.
/ IL is right in the abstract. But il lost
us the election in 1880, and can we af-
ford TO press il in 1884 g' Occasionally
this way of putting the case is varied
with "I am with you if you think we
can win on il"
Then it commands the party to
stand by the right, and fights over
the battle of 1880, and herSically at
tacks every act of the leaders in the
Hancock contest, and even the great
leader himself in the following
sweeping style:
Democrats should remember this. 1t
did not defeat the ticket in 1880. In
the one district in the United States
where the Democrats did not run away
from it, and where it was made an is
sue, the New Albany district of Indi
ana, the party made gains, both in Oc-
tObeT and November. This in spite of
the great DePauw influence If the
gains made in this district had been
kept up throughout the State, we should
have carried it by large majority.
Many things beat us in 1880
The tight against Tilden had greatly
weakened and disordered the party, so
that we entered the campaign in a con-
dition largely impaired.
The National COmmi tee ran away
from every issue pressed by the Repub-
licans
Gen. Hancock's telegram to Plaisted
lost US thousands of votes.
Gen. HancOck's effusion about the
tariff lost us thousands of votes.
The whole management of the cam
paign was penny-wise, pound-foolish
affair. The National Committee ex-
hausted it's energies upon small politics
It tried to meet the Republicans with
money and TO beat them with sharp
practices 1t was double discounted all
the way through. Hence Tilden's great
popular majority was exchanged for
Ha cocks popular minority. 90 -
And here 10 the final stand for q
fight. 1t embraces all the elements
of demonstrative pluck of the cele-
brated battle on the bridge
The tariff question is now the leading
issue of the time. IL is, as the Courier
Journal has long and steadily shown it
would be, the pivot about which all
other questions must revolve. Shall the
party stand upon its record, or reverse
that record? Shall we boldly reassert
our principles, or quail and fiy as soon
as we and they are put to the test
Shall we, in a word, turn tail, and Quib-
BILE and qualify, and play second fiddle
to the Republicans in the old tune of
protection, or march out like men who
are not afraid TO 90 down for concience
sake, and give battle to the Vandal and
the Goth?
Now, we submit these paragraphs
to our thoughtful Democratic read
ers in the belief that in Tennessee,
at least, there will be but one opin-
ion among that class of Democrats
who think that we should fight this
time TO win.
We have constantly said that all
over this country Democrats, by the
thousand and by the ten thousand,
as well as Republicans, were manu-
featuring, and they would not stand
by doctrine which destroyed them.
In this Indictment against the
party for desertion in 1880, the
Courier Journal, in substance, says
the Democratic party in every
district i'm the United States except
one in Indiana-deserted the tariff
plank. In other words, after the
convention had given the party a
sound platform-one on which they
could have won, if they had cour-
ageously stood BY it-they, In every
part of the United States, except
one district in Indiana, ''tucking
tail and run" How do you know
the party could have won?
We have had a very shrewd and
a very wise Democratic politician on
the stump who yielded his particu-
lar views on a particular question
upon the ground that the whole
party in the aggregate knew more
than he did. The truth is Mr..
Watterson has furnished the most
conclusive proof against any such
free trade plank III the party would
not near stand by platform con-
taining the plank in 1850, is it wise
to insert such a plank again, espec-
tally ms there is more feeling about
il now than then? rw FaF
Mr. Watterson Il right, the De
mocracy in all parts Of the country,
in 1880 diarepardad the DIaff0T.rn
and while some disregarded IL 9TH
ers refused 10 swallow it.
Ii was universally believed that
il had been injected into the plat
form by a set OF explorers who have
made the mistake Of their lives.
Gen. Hancock felt this and under
took as Tar as he could, to hedge
aud for this he l. now held up by
the COurieTsJolrRdE as himself caus-
ing the loss ofthohsands of votes.
Hyou could not manage the par