The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-04-28
The Democratic Plight.

The Democratic Plight.
Directly after the Presidential elec.
tion in 1880 Democratic leaders. from
Maine to California began with one
accord to point with pain to the tariff
prank OF the platform upon which
Hancock ran. They We're all agreed
that + was that plank that beat them.
puf they differed when they came to
explain precisely how 1t beat them
Some said that it beat them because
1t was too radical--ssa tariff for rev.
enue only. with no Qualifying clseser
advocating incidental protection, was
a great blunder. Others argued that
the plank in itself was all right, re
1ected the sentiment of the party,
but the trouble was that Democratic
editors and stump speakers had not
been earnest and aggressive enough
Ia ouimendina Tito the lgiAAaes. had
not 3us laeS proves sssraa6ig u Il lIIisss
worthy of the steel of the protection
lists.
Well, another Presidential cam.
paign lies just ahead. And as the
Democratic party scans the political
probabilities of 1854, it realizes that
whatever desperate hopes it may
have entertained of then electing
President of its own nomination stand
a precious good chance of suffering
shipwreck on this same rock of the
tariff. What sort of tariff plank is
to go into the Democratic National
platform next year? There is not a
man in the United States, whatever
his political experience. shrewdness
or standing in the Democratic party,
that can answer this question. The
high-toned Democrats who believe
in answering fidelity to distinctive
party principles at all hazards, are
likely to insist upon reassertion of
"a tariff for revenue only" But they
will be ficrcely opposed by the larger
element that cares nothing about
principles and thinks only of imme-
diate success. This larger element
with the Hancock campaign in view
will be certain to favor a tariff plank
that will be all things to all men and
that. before, will be admirably calcu-
lated to drive away thorough-going
free-traders from the Democratic tick.
ct and to excite only the derision OF
intelligent protectionists. What will
be the outcome of the disagreement ?
Will the convention, in one of those
moments of brilliant blundering tC
} which the Democratic party is adj
dicted at critical times, attempt t(
hedge by nominating a conspicuous
free-trader on platform that leans
toward protection, or by nominating
a man who is known to lean toward
protection on an iron-cIad free-trade
platform, or will they nominate Sam
Randall, who leans both toward free.
trade and protection Right here il
is interesting to note what in the
opinion of The Io1oa State Leader, one
of the most prominent of the free
trade organs in the West, the Demo.
cratic party must do if it would es.
cape being stranded on the tariff
The Leader talks in this strain "The
: Democrats must either accept defeat
in 1884 or they must balance their in.
evitable protectonist losses by free.
trade gains. If their utmost effort:
fail to secure that balance then they
must accept defeat. If they make nc
such efforts then they are defeated
before the battle opens" Surely this
will prove solemn reading for the
. Democrats Of the West. For they
know that they might as we'll look
for white crows as for "free-trade
gains;" and so, if they believe Th'
Leader, their Presidential ticket fol
1884 stands beaten in the spring o
1888.
The more it is looked at the worse
this particular Democratic plight ap
pears. And what lends the situation
increased and multiplied gloom is thu
conviction, which cannot but torc'
itself upon the candid Democrat,
mind, that quite apart from the tariff
their party is very likely to be beatel
, in 1884 upon the general issue.--Nea
York Tribune.
"Don't you remember me?" "Can'
say that 1 ever saw you before
!, "Why, don't you remember littl