Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-27
WISDOM OR CUNNING ?
Which Shall Guide the Democracy in
Coming Contests?

erS OF the people who compose it have an
idea that they can sneak into the
control Of the government, and that the
country will adopt them simply because
it dislikes the Republicans and wants
to turn them out. 1t is the inten-
ton Of the New York Sam faction of
the party TO manage the next cam
palgn on the old war cries, and if such a
policy should be adopted by the National
convention the result must be disastrous.
1t is one of the misfortnnes of the Demo-
cratic party that cunning has had so much
TO do in its management. Somehow or
orther, ii does not matter how, the shifty
men OF the party came to the top in the
days of its returning strength, after the
reconstruction times were over, and when
the country had realized the rottenness
OF those who had banked on their loyalty
for the purpose of enriching themselves
by debauching the government.
The national leaders of the party de-
plored the direction given to the organiZa-
ton, and stood up against it as long as
they were able to accomplish anything.
Those were brave days when handful of
Democrats in Congress fought the Repub-
hcans at every step of their
course of aggressive lawlessness.
Thurman and Bayard and Morrison
and Cassidy and Herman and men like
them were Democrats from principle, and
The first symptom of returning power,
however. brought the politicians to the
front, and the best thing that a profess
slOnal manipulation can think of is the
John Coyode style of politics, the beating
of opponents at their own game. There
fore they began picking up the old Repub-
lican fOllies which their astute antagonists
had been wise enough to throw away at
the first muttering of popular discomfort.
The result has been a series of hints
from the voters that the change which
they desire is not to a new edition of the
Republican party, but something differ
ent. These giants in caucus manage
ment and prattling babes in large poll
tics have apparently misunderstood the
lntImations to mean that the people want
the Democrats to become still more like
the Republican party. 1t is unfortunate
that clever people can be so much mis-
taken, but nine years of close imitation
have almost turned leading Democrats
into very good copies of the Republicans
whom they are pretending to fight.
This is not political essay, but plain
statement of facts that are just now caus-
ing the best men of the Democratic party
a good deal of anxiety. They are more
disturbed than the apparent situation
seems to warrant. But the fact is that
the apparent situation is not the true one,
and that the Democratic party is deceiv-
ing itself if it suppOses that a negative
or party policy can be successful at the
polls. The best men in the party know
thoroughly well the danger that will
result from such management as that
which the organization has had since
1876. Alleged sharpness has taken the
place of wisdom, and nothing but SUI
preme disgust with the Republicans re-
suited in the victory of last fall. There
was more than one conference in Wash
ingt0n last winter between the men who
have given the Democrats the respect of
the public, and the question between cum
ming and wisdom was seriously cOnsid-
cred. If definite and worthy policy is
not determined on by the next national
convention, there will not be much heart
for the campaign. The men who led the
party during the war have come to the
conclusion that there was more hope
when they had dozen Senators than
there is now, that the wiseacres like Bar
mum and Wallace are at the head of the
affairs, and that if new rule cannot be
established final surrender might as
well be made.
The cry, ''turn the rascals out" will not
do. The party won in that issue in 1876,
but it will not do this year. Then the peO-
pie believed that the rascals were in, and
they were. There are undoubtedly good
many rascalS still in, but the people are not
alive to the wickedness and corruption of
the republican party, as they were seven
years ago. They have an idea that the
breeze that resulted in the Tilden-Hayes
campaign, and in the triumph of
the Democratic ticket, cleari-
fled the government. 1t is well
enough to declare Hayes a fraud, for he
was everything that has been charged
against him, and he was never chosen to
the office that he failed to administer
either ably or honestly. The great body
of voters, however. do not believe the
truth about Hayes. On the contrary,
they esteem his administration and con-
slider it one of the best the country has
ever had.
Those who are familiar with it's real
history, most of it secret or semi-secret,
know that Garfield's short administration
was both weak and rotten, but that isnOt,
and perhaps never VIII be, the conviction
OF the people. TO them ne appears now
as a martyr, and his administration has
been ideahzed beyond recognition by
those who were familiar with it and
with the gang of thrifty but unsavOry cit
liens who made up what was known as
the ''chum cabinet" Mr.. Arthur is
growing very popular. 1t is true that
some very bad things have been done by
his subOrdinates, for whose appointment
to place, however, he alone is respOn-
he gave office to HOltOn and Chandler,
to New and Pinchback and to a number
of others who are disgrace to American
politics. just now his New Internal Re-
nenue Commissioner is disgracing him by
removing good officers, and appointing to
the places made vacant thereby men who
were once removed for cause. But, not
withstanding all these things the present
administration is growing in popularity,
and cannot be driven out by any such cry
as ''turn out the rascals." The rascals
ought to be turned out, but the trouble is
that the country does not consider their
presence in place as so dangerous that
they must try new party in order to get
rid of them.
All these considerations have so
strongly impressed themselves upon the
ablest leaders of the Democratic party
that they are determined to make strong
fight both in the Speakership contest Of
next fall and in the Presidential COnven-
tion of 1894. The fight will be for a de-
claration of sound principles, especially
concerning taxation, and for the nominal
ton of such men as will compel the re-
cognition that the platform means pre-
cisely what it says. Carlisle will be the
choice of the men who still have
faith III Democratic principles for
the Speakership, and some such
sound Western man as Mr.. Morrison
will be selected for the Presidential nOmi-
nation. The men who have the brains of
the party have determined to submit no
longer to the dictation of the small souls
who cannot see beyond the policy of saw
ing pennies, disregarding always the fact
that it is worse to take unjustly from the
taxpayer than it is to spend his money
foolishly. The usual 'Epenny wise" poll
tician of the Democratic party, were he
likely to fall a victim to highwaymen,
would doubtless feel more heartfelt pangs
because of the thriftless expenditure of
his money by the robbery than because of
the theft itself.
These people will find next year that
they are not to have everything their own
way Their way has been tried and is
worthless. They have failed always and
there has never been worse time than
the present for continuing it. The strong
men of the Democratic party have de-
termined to try the wisdom of a definite
and aggressive policy. They do not OBJ
ject to economy; they will probably prac-
tice it to much better purpose than
would the demagOgues who are making
so much noise about it.. But they believe,
first of all, that sound and honest policy