The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-05-08
The Democratic Outlook.

There is certain degree of negative
comfort taken by many Republican
papers in the fact that Democratic
sentiment has not thus far shown any
tendency to settle upon a candidate for
the Presidency. This is assumed to in
dicate either an an absence of faith in
the ability of the party to win in the
coming contest or the existence of irrec-
oncilable and mutually destructive fac
tions. Nobody, they tell us, can say
positively whether Tilden will be in the !
field or not, and there is quite as little |
assurance that he would be welcomed |
if he did enter the lists. Cleveland and
Bayard have, it is true, been spoken of
with marked favor, and
even Payne has not been suffered to
waste his fragrance on the desert air of
the Senate; but around neither of these
gentlemen has there yet been anything
in the nature of a we'll defined move
ment formed: and what is true of them
holds concerning the whole list of DEM
ocratic statesmen, if we except the
Flower. In explanation of this remark
able absence of the s'booms" and other
organized efforts familiar to politicians
the dispute over the tariff is referred
to. This, it is said, has hopelessly split
the party, first by dividing Demo-
Gratis and those who will not vote for a
protectionist and those who will have
neither part nor lot in the work of rev.
enue reform, and secondly by so setting
the recognized leaders by the ears that
either set would rather see the Repub-
licans triumph than have the opposite
side of their own household attain to
victory. 1t does not, however, appear
to the Eagle that there is anything in
the situation to justify either Republic
an exultation or Democratic despond-
ency ut this stage of the game. On the
contrary, as matters stand, we believe
the Democrats have more chances in
their favor than were on their side in
the early part of 1876, the year in
which they swept the country, but were
cheated out of the fruit of their labor to
the advantage of that darling of Repub-
lican,politics, Rutherford B. Hayes. They
have not only on their side the disclos-
ure of the frauds of all kinds practiced
under the hypocritical mask of the
Hayes Administration, but they have the
| proof conclusive furnished by the fiasco
of the Star-Route trials under Arthur
that he who expects a corrupt party to
| cleanse itself in Office is looking for
what never did nor ever will occur; and
added to these are the evidences on
every hand that the men in power have
failed alike in the work of fostering the
trade, maintaining or reviving the
shipping, upholding the honor and
providing for the defense of the
country against its enemies. When
the average American citizen comes
to vote he will unquestionably ask him.
self what objects of interest to him are
to be subserved by giving the Repub
licans another lease of power, and wher
he asks the question he will have to fine
mind more ingenious than his own tc
furnish satisfactory answer. The
fortresses without gun; the ships ot
war that excite the derision of the
world; the Civil Service made obedien
to the most offensive political dictation
the public domain divided between
great corporations; banking system
maintained for the benefit of bankers
and not for the people; race prejudice
fomented and reputation made to d.
service for patriotism in the Southern
States; President who, surrounded
by the chief exponents of Republicanisn
! in the country, did honor to the organ
izer of the Star-route frauds and deemet
it glorious jest that this person ha,
successfully corrupted commonwealth
and, above all, the confessed prostitu
ton of the Department of Justice t.
political ends these are among tn
things which will attract the homes
citizens attention; and they will
, not, in the Eagles. judgment, seen
to him to be reasons for renew
| ing a trust so often and so srossl
violated. With such an adversary wha
, is there to prevent the Democracy from
securing the confidence of the people
> There is absolutely nothing if the part
in both Houses of the National Legis
t lature have made an unassailable recor
for strict economy and integrity. b
: them and not by Republicans the bul
: dens of the people have been lightened
: and from their presence, not from ths
of their opponents, the lobbyists VIII
infested the chambers of Congress flee
5 They can point to more than half til
: States of the Union for proof of the
ability to govern wisely, and pre-em
: nently to the State of New York, whic
will be the heart of the Presidents
contest. There is no fair test whic
f can be applied to statesmen or to
! political Organization which will M
, present the Democrats as many time
over more worthy to rule this land tina
| the party whose foremost candidate t.
day is the hero of the Mulligan corr
: spondence, whose last Speaker of tt
I House of Representatives was Keift
: and whose present Chief Magistra
S was, and for all we know still is, tt
eulogist and crony of Dorsey. As
o the fear of Democratic dissension we
:, not see what there is to base it on, VI
t less it be assumed that the minorit
: led by Mr.. Randall intend to bolt tt
ticket if they are not permitted to nan
a the candidate or frame the issues. "
s do not believe that Mr.. Randall has Il
e remotest thought of boiling, and we al
J. quite sure that if he did 50 he would n
s take any considerable number of Der
y ocrats with him, for in party sense Il
d question of what shall be said or dol
o with the tariff is -eminentfy one
be settled by the vote of the majorit
It The man who quits the Democrat
d camp because the Democracy is resolve
z to simplify the customs duties, is not
Democrat. With this as the outlook,
d is to the advantage of the party that
v has not yet done much talking abo
,. candidates. In the fact that the vote
and the politicians are uncommitted Ii
N strong ground for confidence. In I'll
= there is proof that the ground is to
n surveyed calmly and the bearings of t
W fight taken into consideration before t
70 selection is made of tine men who are
le lead in the struggle. We greatly m
le take the prospect if it is not the settl
" purpose of the Democracy this time
be guided not by hot heads and Four
IS of July orators, but by cool comm
e. sense Brooklyn Eagle.
as
,g 1.-THE Grand Old Party"
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