Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-07-31
DEMOCRACY'S DEATH STRUG-


DEMocRACY'S DEATH sTRUG-
GLE.
The Democratic party seems incapa-
BILE of coming squarely before the coun-
try on a clean-cut issue and measuring
strength with the Republican party in
the open field. Conscious that there IS
nothing in its history or motives that
will commend it to the thinking, up
right voter, it resorts to peurile trickery
and catchpenny expedients to win the
support it csAnot hope to command on
its own merits. It's candidates for the
Presidency for quarter of century
have been chosen solely on the ground
of expediency, and its platforms during
that time have promised anything and
everything that it was thought would
capture votes. They have agreed in
but one thing bitter abuse and misrep-
resentation of Republicanism The
history of the last five Presidential con-
tests show these facts clearly.
In 1864 the Democracy nominated a
been removed from his command for
incapacity, in the hope of catching votes
among Union men who might sympa-
thize with him; and he was placed on
platform of ''Ccpperhead' utterances
Lincoln was triumphantly elected.
In 1868 this scheme was reversed.
The candidate was ''copperhead"
statesman, and the platform was made
Union in sentiment-thre years after the
war was over. Seymour was beaten,
and Grant entered the White House.
In 1872 the whole party organization
and its principles were surrendered to
crowd of Republican boilers, and Gree
ley was made the nominee. The spec
tacle was an amazing one-to see po-
litical party pass over the statesmen in
its own ranks, men whose lives had
been passed in the advocacy of Democ-
racy, to take for its standard bearer a
man who had all his life been that par
tvs incorporating enemy-an origin
al Abolitionist, and one of the founders
of the Republican party itself. The
platform was made up of equal parts of
abuse of Repubhcanism and general
gush on all other topics. Grant was
reelected and Greeley died insane.
In 1876 they nominated Tilden, solely
because he had done some good work
as reformer of abuses in the Demo-
cratic government of New York, which
abuses had become so outrageous as to
make the party stencil in the nostrils
of all honest men. They placed him on
q platform which was nothing but a
yell for 'treform'' and an appeal for
power. The hollowness of the cry of
'sreform'' and the character of Tilden
were both shown up clearly by most
astounding attempt to defeat the will of
the people. For the first time in Amer
lean history set effort was made to
buy up Presidential electors for money,
and to reverse the verdict of election in
entire states by the most gigantic
treachery and frauds. 1t failed, and
the Democracy went down again in ig-
nominous defeat.
In 1880, all new expedients being ex-
hausted, they tried the soldier dodge
again, and nominated Hancock, simply
because he was an Union Soldier with q
creditable record; and. because SIRE
form'' was good catch-Word, made ii
and - a tariff for revenue only" their
platform. The soldier dodge did not
work as they expected, and thinking
men repudiated the free trade heresy.
Over they went once more, and s. sat in
the dust in the valley Of defeat, chewing
the bitt r. cud of disappointment
And now in this year Of grace 1884
the Democratic parry comes once more
to the front; lean and hungry as a vol
in midwinter, after its "a years of alb
sence from Office; battered and bruised
to the last degree from its numerous de
Keats; with none among its great mer
of National reputation that it IS willing
to trust with leadership; with no settled
policy bus ravenous, insane desire fol
power: with no new expedient at hanG