The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-10
MIR. CARLIsLE's DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLE

When a man like Speaker Carlisle talks, and
talks as Speaker it is worth while to listen
carefully and critically to what he says. 1t
must be taken for granted that Mr.. Carlisle
would not talk at random, and for buncombe;
not talk merely to hear himself talk, or to
please with sounding phrase party friends
to whom he might be under obligations for
political preferment When MIR. Carlisle
speaks it must be accepted that he speaks
carefully, and with perfect understanding of
the meaning of his words. 1t will not have
escaped the attention of the careful reader Of
the newspapers that Mr.. Carlisle made what
might we'll be termed "signifcant speech"
upon the occasion of his nomination by the
Democratic caucus, and which he, in effect,
repeated on Monday, when he was indicted
into the chair for the second term. To his
Democratic friends Mr. Carlisle said
Gin my judgment full and complete
recognition of the Democratic principle in our
government is essential, not only to the pres
ervation of the rights of individuals and local
communities, but also to the perpetuation of
the union of the States"
This is not an idle, but pregnant utter
ance 1t becomes question of vital import
for the people to understand what is 'the
Democratic principle" Mark you, it is in
the singular number There is one Demo
cratic principle, and one only, which Mr.. Car
Isle invests with this supreme and vital inn
! portance. 1t is not the principle of free trade,
for however Democratic" that may be in the
abstract the party, as party, is not unit
upon it, and he would have been beating the
wind had he attempted to argue 'Morrison-
ism" into the Randall wing of the party. 1t
is not the coinage of the silver dollar, for
Jordanism and Dan Manningism cannot and
will not mix with "Bland- Warnersm" any
more than oil will mix with water. The
democratic principle" which Mr.. Carlisle
invests with vital necessity to the continued
union of the States we may we'll take to be
something deeper and more fundamental than
mere questions of policy Or methods of ad-
hesion nor harmony in the Democratic ranks.
In very truth, we may know that this 'prin
ciple' is none of these things: for Mr.. Car
Isle, in his inaugural speech, plainly recog
nized the probability of high debate on these
current questions which would not be
confined to presumed party lines. There
fore, we may properly ask, what did
Mr.. Carlisle mean? He had something in his
mind, and his Democratic listeners must have
had something in their minds when they ap
plauded this sentiment to the echo. We have
no disposition to anticipate Mr.. Carlisle's
answer to the question which has been asked,
and which will be repeated to him from every
quarter Of a deeply interested country; but
we venture the assertion that this great vital
Democratic principle" the 'full and com
plete recognition of which Mr.. Carlisle says
| is essential to 'the perpetuation of the Union
| of the States" is none other, and can be none
other, than the hateful and hated doctrine of
State rights or State sovereignty. Let any
candid man examine the speech of Mr.. Car
Isle, look into its bearings and circumstances,
and analy we the sentence carefully, and he can
arrive at no other conclusion than that this
vital Democratic principle is the one sent
forth to the country in the resolutions of
179S, enunciating the 'principle' upon which
the Democratic party then proposed to 20 to
the country, and upon which was built the
entire Democratic structure, until it tumbled
to pieces in the terrible conflict of
1868. For this vital Democratic principle
the Democratic party plunged the country
into war; it brought death and desolation into
the land; it ridged the country with soldiers
graves, and SCARED humanity with armless
sleeves and legless stumps For this vital
Democratic principle the Democratic party
piled up billions Of debt, under the load Of
which the country still staggers, while COM
merce and industry have not yet thrown off
the consequent paralysis. All this is what
Mr. Carlisles vital democratic principle"
has already cost the people of the United
States, under the threat of dissolution of
the Union in 1860-G1, which is not so very
family suggested now by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, the special mouth
piece of the Democratic party in Congress-
The country is informed that "a full and
complete recognition of this Democratic prin-
ciple is essential to the perpetuation of the
union of the States" What this "full aud
complete recognition" may mean in Mr..
Carlisle's mind, we have no means
of knowing; but if it be true
that all that was gained by the