The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-06-04
THERE MUST BE NO MISTAKES.
Few Earnest Words Addressed to vir-
ginia Democrats.


A Few Earnest Words Addressed to Vir-
ginia Democrats.
The Democrats of Virginia carried
that State for the Cleveland Electors by
6,141 majority in total vote of 1884,
991, larger by many thousands than
had ever before been cast.
Though the opposition was so divided
as to appear before the Republican Ma
tional Convention with two sets of dele
gates, and though there must have re-
manned some bitterness on account of
the summary rejection of the one and
the nomination of candidate which
the other did not favor, yet the Ma
honeites came out openly and boldly as
the Republican party of Virginia,
polled' over fifteen thousand votes more
than they had for the Legislature in
1883 and cut the Democratic majority
from seventeen thousand down to six
thousand in single year.
There is no margin left to allow for
incapacity, Partially or favoritism
among Democratic leaders. 1t is toe
small to play with.
The Mahoneites will fight harder this
year than they ever have before, be-
cause they are fighting for their lives,
and they will take every advantage of
the slightest errors in policy of the
Democratic leaders. If they lose their
political power will be forever gone. If
they win they will regain all they have
lost in the last two years, together with
that prestige which results from res
toration to political honors from which
one has been in measure dispossessed.
That there is some discomfort pre-
vailing among Virginia Democrats is
not open to argument, though its ex-
tent and possible effect undoubtedly is.
A part of it is due to the slow and con-
servative policy of the Administration,
which allows the Malone office-holders,
whose appointments were wholly polit-
ical, and made solely for partisan pur-
poses, to remain for the present undis-
turbed. 1t is more than probable this
state of things will speedily regulate it.
self; but whether it does or not, Vir-
ginia Democrats ought not to, however
much they may, be held responsible.
But there has been some criticism OF
the acts of Virginia Democratic leaders
and office-holders which is certainly
pertinent, so far as founded on facts.
The Lynchburg Convention of 1888. in
its platform Of principles, has this tc
say among other expressions of its
views: 1--WE demand such real civil.
service reform as will make merit the
test of official fitness and exclude the
system of bargain and sale of Offices >
Objection is made to the plan by
which the Democratic Congressmer
have parceled out the Federal appoint
ments that it initiates against this
resolution, in that it does not make
merit the test, and that it is closely al
lied to the bargain-and-sale principle
because it permits eight Congressmer
| to divide up the Federal offices in tn,
| State by agreement among themselves
| from which their own constituents ar,
excluded and in which the Democrat
Of the two Republican districts have n,
representative at all.
IL is much more to the purpose t.
note the existence of the objection thai
/ to question its soundness. If the Vir
| ginia Democrats do not like the plal
| the best thing to do is to abrogate j
and start over. Though it be not yer,
bad, it is certainly not so obviously ex
cellent as to warrant adherence to it il
spite of the persistent opposition o
men who have votes and who are no
particular at times how they use them
Another point made by criticism!
Democrats is that the young men Q
the party have not received the recog
milton which has been promised an
to which they are entitled. This is n
new statement. 1t was said four year
ago that one reason for Malone
strength was that he brought youn!
men out and gave them opportunitie
for political preferment, which Demo
cratic leaders had continued to den
them. Like the other complaint, it
existence is of more Importance than i!
soundness, and it should be put an en-
to at once.
| Good management, combined wit
unseltish purposes among the part
leaders, ought to carry Virginia for th
Democracy by thirty thousand major
Washington Post.