Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-04-17
Wilmington. Thursday,Apr. II, 1884
The Allentown convention.

Wilmington. hursday,Apr. ", 1884.
The Allentown Convention.
"That wing Of the Republican party
"known az Randall Democrats" is the
sarcastic classification the very in
dependent Philadelphia Record applies 10
the convention which assem- bled at Allen
town last week, But there does seem to
be 3 great deal OF justice in the Records
criticism, that the convention had not the
courage to do right or wrong except in
matters about which there is no disputs.
To be sure the opening plank of the plat
form goes a little further than such re-
striotion would really imply and I'M
equivocally denounoos judicial, legis.
lative and executive usurpations," and
this is, as lar as it goes, manly and un-
mistakabls enunciation.
The electoral fraud issue ia rsvAmped
for all that it is worth in the third plank
of the platform, but it is getting rather
late now to make the stealing OF the Pre-
sidency eight years ago vital question
around which to rally a great political
party. The only way to avenge that
theft completely and entirely would be to
resusoitate the mummified ticket OF that
day and fall in line behind it;
but, putting aside the uncertainty as to
what Mr.. Tildsn would do should he be
again elected President, especially in the
face of his protestations that he does not
aspire to the office, it seems TO US thst a
purely sentimental issue like this is a
very weak one to put forward as the
leading plank in the platform OF q great
party st q time ike This.
We are satisfied that We read the
temper OF the people of the country
generally when we say that, disguise or
dodge the subject as much as party
leaders may, the live issue of the coming
campaign will be not what has been done
but what will be done; not whether the
Democratic party was defrauded in 1877,
bat what effect the election OF a Demo
cratic President will have upon the in
dustrisl interests OF the country in 1855.
And upon this vital issue the Pennsyl-
vsnia platform is ambiguous. 1t comedies
that something must be done to reduce
the national revenue and tighten taxa
tion and then declares for free whisky
and tobacco and "such an adjustment of
the existing tariff duties as will be
consistent with these principles
This may mean much or little coming
from the source it does it will be con-
strued to mean very little. 1t is the
uttersnce Of the Randall Democrats to
their brethren of the rest OF the country,
imploring them not to forsake the old
discriminating policy which led them to
defeat four years ago; imploring them to
accept policy of expediency for the
present, and let principle wait until the
party grows strong enough to bear it.
A few weeks, perhaps a few days will
show whether the rest OF the country will
consent to become a tail to the Pennsyl-
vania kite. A party deserving of success
will not sacrifice principle to expediency
but, placed on the ground of mere party
expediency we fail to see what ohspce!the
Democrats, have to win ON thePennsylvanis
platform; tor, setting aside the fact that
what may be expedient in one part of the
country may be- vastly inexpedient 10 an.
other, the Democratic party has become
too closely associated with tariff reduc-
tion policy to hope to draw any material
strength from protection votes. Certainly
the slim chance of carrying the Repub.
lican state OF Pennsylvania cannot be a
sufficient incentive to trim the sails Of
the Democratic ship so closely to the
protection zephyr as to cause it TO mise
the more favoring tariff reduction breezss
from other sections OF the country which
might be strong enough to wait it int
port instead of leaving it gliding aim
lessly and helplessly along on the waves
of tempori2ing sea, out of sight of land
The Changers of Kent and Sussex ar,
preparing to take hand in Temperance,
politics. At recent joint meeting o
Changers from both counties, held a
Milford, resolution was adopted declsr
ing "that the people should have tn
fright to say, by local option law
whether or not Intoxicating Huuor