Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-18
/" Joined to Its Idols"

Joined TO Its IDOLS
In the long agoit was Ephraim who
was Joined to his IDOLS and the ad-
monition was, "Let him alone.n One
of the GAZETTE's contemporaries is so
loyal to superstition that it seems Il
waste of time to tender either argu
ment, logic or appeals to reason to win
this sincere but intractable brother
back to pure and ancient faith. But
one should not weary of missionary |
work, and the GAZETTE is by no means
prepared to indulge in despair or dis
gust and abandon its efforts to convince
the Statesman that the majority rule
as political practice is essentially |
Democratic. The GAZETTE quoted AL
exander II. Stephens, Georgia's dead
commoner, publicist and statesman,
on the twothirds rule, to which in pol
icy and practice Mr.. Stephens was OPP
posed. The Statesman does not at
tempt to pick a flaw in the logic of Mr..
Stephens position it does not ques
ton the historical accuracy of his
statements. Its only answer is that
Mr. Stephens was not Democrat, but
a Wing, in the ante-bellum days So
he was, up to 1856, when he com
menced his utilization with the Demo
cratic party. But why not attack his
argument and show the effectiveness
of his logic How many men, now
honored by the Statesman and the rest
of us as bright and shining lights of
Democracy, were Wings in the ante
bellum times? If Senator Coke for
example, were to express opposition to
the two thirds rule, and were TO state
why he opposed it and show up its de-
fects, would the Statesman undertake
to answer his arguments and relut'
them by the reply that Mr.. Coke wa
: a Wing las he was) until the result o
u the civil war placed him per force il
the Democratic ranks 1t would no
Il commit such blunder. On the con
1t trary it would grid up its loins an,
y meet Tor attempt to do SOY argumen
with argument. Is Mr.. Stephens pc
- sition illogical or his theories defectiv
- because he YVES a Wing twenty-fv
= years ago ? The proposition will ne
u bear discussion. And after the wa
| says the Statesman, "the wonderft
{. ability and purity Of Mr.. Stepher
~ kept him in Office until the day of h
VI dnath ~ Vhtc In, utat, Oh
~ to poll 100000 Democratic m
~ jority. IT. for arguments sake. thi
10 assertion is left unchallenged, it woul
IL only enhance the value and disinte
NJ estedness OF Mr.. Stephens ideas, rs
p the two-thirds rule and other politics
i've practices. 1t would be conlirmatio
ne of the soundness Of his reasoning. A
ne cordlng 10 the Statesman, howev,
~ logic, argument, wisdom-all are of
'es avail simply because Mr.. Stephens,
w the earlier years of his political ii
VI was a Wing. 1t is the mouth-piece
WI an idea, not the idea itself, that is
!" determine Its value The Statesm
oo' has no desire to be convinced, Will
~, is its privilege, but it should not ref
"n to hear arguments, or dismiss til,
w. with the tlippant answer "the M:
IVY was once Whig.u And the Stat
u man wonders why so many Democr
's's are now found opposing further
we of the two-thirds rule. 1t mourns oy
IN. the signs of the times and conclud
'eo T he only shadow OF cause IL found In
In fact that some unsound Democratic par
md coye.lly working In the interests OF the
ho. OF pemoeracy,and which habitually fight
rule Just prior to every election. raised
ue' cry, aud without due reflection, hnsty Del
Iree cratic papers committed themselves to
xxi and they are now ashamed 10 come out ,
Voc Acknowledge their error.
!, =, Verify, verify this Is an expla
~, tion-this Is a solution, and a nor
mental one. The Statesman, 1t j. /
to presume, receives all the Der
traffic papers In Texas. 1t knows 4
'ort Of the thirty dailies, those clinginp
hen the two'thirds rule may he counted
Dad the fingers of one hand that of
lion three hundred and twelve weeklie,
day not exceeding fifty, say--ret
her the two,thirds rule. A
0 In the Statesman accounts for /
om- BY saying these "hasty Dsmocra
to papers" have inadvertently co
70 mitted themselves to advocacy of
and majority rule, strayed off, like Ii
Q OF sheep, to follow .'few unsound M
last ocratic papers," etc. Ola verify t
by isa compliment to the intelligel
elet and integrity OF the Democratic pr
'een OF Texas, The Statesman, wrapped
the In its worship of the two.thirds r,
y Is has no ear for any argument agai
me that practice. 1t refuses to open
eyes TO the fact that the Democro
lid heart II stirred up; that the rank d