New-York tribune., 1883-06-18
4 CHANCE FOR FRANKNESS.

Now, as often before, the main dlllculty III
the night government of the country is to
bring about direct and definite issue between
narties. Whenever such an issue can be made
the people decide readily, and almost always
rightly, and they always uphold the decision
which has been made by the majority. Now
there are very grave questions of public policy
which ought to be settled by the people. No
intelligent man doubts that the two great par
ties differ widely in their tendencies and aims
as to those questions. Yet it seems quite I'M
possible to get the issue sharply made as to
either of them, SO that the plainest voter
must perforce understand it.
The difficulty is not with the Republican
party. Either because of its courage, as its
friends claim and many of its foes admit, or
because of its shrewdness in judging of the
public will, or because its aims could not have
been concealed through many. years of full
control of the Government, 1t Is at any rate
the fact that no person of common sense can
be in the dark as to the purposes OF that
marty. 1t seeks honest government, because
for twenty years it has exposed without
hesitation and prosecuted without mercy. not
only misbehaving adversaries, but evil-doers,
however high and influential, in its own ranks.
II seeks reform of civil service, because 1t has
enacted q law framed by the advocates of that
reform and intrusted its execution to its known
and active friends. 1t seeks protection Of
American industry through n discriminating
tariff. because every act to that end that has
been passed for the last forty years has been
passed almost wholly by Republican votes,
sustained by Republican organizations and
enforced by Republican administrations. Thus
il is simply impossible for q man of common
sense to doubt what the tendency or aim OF
the Republican party is on those questions.
The trouble now and all the time is that the
Democratic party tries to hide its tendencies
and aims. 1t claims to be something which its
acts nrove that it is not. 1t contIives false
issues to seduce voters who would otherwise
support the Republican policy. 1t plays a
iuggler's game with tricks of words, puts up
as candidates men who represent nothing but
its desire for Office, and takes as its
| leaders men who are strong protection
,sts in Massachusetts, or Pennsylvania and
men who are strong free-traders in
| Kentucky or Indiana. Again and again the
| neople have condemned this course as dis
honest one But the party still sticks TO it,
| and seems likely to do so i'll the next Pres-
Dental election. Many times we have
warned that party that trickery and evasion
would not pay, that the people of this coun-
try did not like it, and that more of them
| would vote for bad cause frankly and man
fully upheld than for any knavish attempt to
get the favor both of those who favor and
of those who oppose it. But the party has
gone on, year after year, Ill elaborate trickery
| to assured defeat
There is a chance in the OHIO election to take
a new departure. 1t is but justice to the DEM
ocrats of that State to say that they have three
times tried to screw their party up to more
manly course. They set up Vallandigham, as
a representative of "peace at any price," and
it was a cOura geous if not very loyal thing
to do. They set up Pendleton, and proposed
payment of bonds in greenbacks, which was
as plucky as the course proposed would have
been ruinous. They set up Allen and
Ewing, and declared fatty for soft money
and against specie resumption. The enor-
nous vote that they polled was evidence that a
manly course was appreciated, even though
! the people were not quite ready to wreck
| their prosperity and their honor on the treach-
erous sands OF fat money" Ii the Demo
| Gratis of Ohio have the courage of their con-
yictions again, and wish to lift their party to
something like manly attitude, they will
adopt platform something like this:
l. Rssolred That any duty LEVIED for the purpose of
protection wrongs millions Of consumers for the benefit
OF producers. tariff that shall raise necessary
revenue with least possible tax upon consumers or
discrimination between producers Is the only one that
| Government has any right to impose.
H. Resolved That public offices ought TO be given ex-
cusively TO party that has been intrusted by the
people with charge of the Government Those who
arc most Jealous effective ia the work Of that party
should be placed IN office as means OF giving the party
| greater strength
I'LL To secure for the Democratic party full control
he Government Of ths United States Is the highest
| aim Of every true Democrat The selection Of honest