Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-12-10

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would be political .fclo dc Sc,
That the rascals must Ego" is a popu
lar admission. But, unfortunately fol
the Democratic party, its shining
lights have not all been honest men
and the Republicans have Away:
been enabled since the war to convince
the country that there was more dan
ger in Democratic ascendency than in
Republican rule, despite the steals
which have marked the latter and
mainly for the reason that, with the
single exception ofTilden's candidacy
the Democratic faith since 1864 has
seemed to be mere opposition to Re-
publicanism. From Democratic
standpoint this ought to have b en-
sufficient, but there was not enough in
it TO attract the independent vote
which goes so largely towards deciding
presidential contests. With this class
of voters it has been but choice be.
tween the ms and the outs. and it has
gone with the Republicans because of
Democratic shullling and war memo
ries. To win, Democracy must present
to the country u sharply defined issue
AID candidate ca rapport Herewith,
who will represent in himself the es.
sence of the Democratic idea. This
was done in 1876. Grantism had
nnuseated the country, and reform was
the popular demand. Democracy
Went into the campaign upon that is
sue, uLder the leadership of n man
who was the embodiment of the plat
form, and the Democracy won. Ii is
needless to repeat the story of how the
country was defrauded of its choice.
The same Independent vote which had
made the victory possible tolerated the
steal of the presidency through the
electoral commission rather than coun-
tenance the Mexicnnization of the gov
eminent. In 1881 the Democrats will
have all opportunity topresent an is
sue as well defined as was that of 1876,
and one as imperatively demanded by
the people, and there are thousands of
voters who will hail the day when
Democracy shall present them with
something more tangible than n mere
opposition to the party of which these
voters are weary, but which, in the
absence of real purpose on
the part of Democracy, they
trust IN preference to the lat
ter party. Ignoring fanatical howls
Of "bloody shirt" as the Chinese gongs
of an impotent decrepitude, and turn
ing its back on Democrats who would
run the party in the rut of mere oppo.
sition TO Republicanism, the Democ-
racy should go into the campaign
pledged TO the issue that taxation shall
not be made to subserve individual or
class interests, and that tariff duties |
shall be collected for revenue only, and |
upon this platform nominate man
embodying in his own political record |
the idea enunciated, and man whose |
nomination will provoke the minimum
of political soreness and jealousy. For
such tariff reformer, to stand on a |
tariif-reioTm platform, the Democracy
should look only among its most duaik-
dbte members-among those whose
public lives have been without ques-
ton and those most free of the antagun-
isms which are aroused by active pub
lie service.
New York, Ohio and Indiana are the
states containing the greatest number
of presidential possibilities. The fac
tional fights of the New York Demo.
Gratis have become stencil in the
party nostrils. In Ohio the "harmonyn
among Democrats is not pleasant
thing to contemplate. Indiana may not
be quite so badly dsordercd, but il is
bad enough. Each of these great states
has men who could adorn the prts.-
dency and give form to the Democratic
tea; but will candidate from either
be rs duditu6ie as another who is and
has been leader in tue great fight
thst ended in Carlisle's election? No ,
man in all the United States is a more
pronounced tariff reformer than VIM.
H. Morrison of Illinois. He was
u Union soldier, and should
have been on tile ticket with Hancocl,
in 1880. No faint OF corruption al
taehes to any portion of his long politi-
ca' ME- His popularity at home is at (
tested by his election in Republican I
district, made Repuhlicans Inv (, yorr,