The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-07
NEWSPAPER PARTY MAKING.
The Unremitting Tendency of Newspapers
to Evolve New Political Conditions.

/ l
where between the Rio Grande and
| Portland. there is always an article on
The Future of Parties; or on The
New Democracy or one entitled ..Af-
ter Observation-Disclosures The I'M
renting tendency of newspapers to dis
cuss this subject has sprung from an
American fondness for intellectual
speculation and from the availability of
the matter as topic when news is
scarce. OF late a new reason has arisen
for resort to such discussion. There is
number of detached thinkers who
I have papers but who find themselves
men without party. They are inclined
to make new party to suit themselves
or to make over one of the existing
parties in their likeness. The Green
back party is not to their taste for
! they are sane on finance. The Labor
party does not please them, for it has
| so many men of enthusiasm and unin-
! formed earneStness in it. The Pro-
hibition party is unsatisfactory to them
| for the same reason, and because these
new creators or these persistent re-cre-
| atOrS know good wine and delight TO
treat themselves to generous living, as
an Offset TO acrid thinking. These gent
lemen have tried to new make the Repub-
lican party, but failing to do Sd, doubt
| less out of the highest motives, they
left it. The Republican party was after
ward defeated. Whether it was defeated
| because they left it or whether their
leaving it was only coincidence, is
disputed. Probably the former is the
case. Anyway, they do not feel kindly
toward the Republican party. 1t does
not feel kindly toward them.
This is then the situation: A new
party or the articulation of these men
with the Democracy. They are first
| discussing that which we have named
as the second alternative. The ayiditv
of the American mind for speculation,
| the frequent deartL of news and the
| partyleSs condition of these active and
| suggestive gentlemen combine to rem
der their propositions for making the
Democratic party agreeable or tolerable
to them interesting. We have been i'm
pressed with the peculiarly personal
character OF their reflections. Their
decreasing objection to the Democratic
| party Is owing to the fact that 4 certain
k-nG of men are in it. Their increasing
favor toward the Democratic party is
| avOvedly basel Oa their belief that
fewer men of the kind intimated are in
it, and that they are, as these detached
thinkers hope, inclined to leave it. 1t
IS remarkable that this estimate of
parties by groups of individuals should
occur. 1t was hardly ever INDUCED in
before by men who have really made
parties. Party makers in fact never re-
garded the personnel of voters in the
United States but once The native
American party described itself by its
name. Its name of itself showed what
men it excluded and antagonized 1t
carried one State in one national elec-
ton. Its adherents have ever since
been magnifying the resources of per-
jury to establish the idea that they new
er belonged to it. All other party
makers or party renovators have here
tOfore been very fond of all kinds of
voters, the more the better They have
tired for votes with principles, isms or
reforms, preferring such as they thought
would be likely to attract the larg st
number of voters. The practice of de-
tcrmining adhesion or opposition TO a
party, by the fact of whether certain
kind of men support it or desert it, is
almost novel. 1t is a modification of
the old Know Nothing idea, as will be
seen, but it is 4 unique modification.
One OF the organs of this movement
IN a thnnlnCrianl io1
Tor admission into the new party, should
one be founded If not. the test will be
converted into 4 condition on which the
detached thinkers may consent to Join
the Democracy. The organ uses many
words, but what it means is this: The
new party, or the renewed Democracy
whichever be the result will make
the membership of Irish Catholic citi-
zenS as difficult and few as possible: it
will try to drive them over into Repub-
llcanlSm. That done, the intended re-
cruitS will flock in and take their
places. The excuse for this is the be-
lief of the organ that when the de-
tached thinkers ''sidled up toward the
Democracy number of the voters to
whom it objects, left 1t. The superSen-
sitiveneSS which resents the fact now is
due to miscOnception of the cause.
1t was the nomination of Blaine which
cost the Democracy some adherentS-
not the opposition of these detached
thinkers to him. If they decline to fell
lOwship with the Democrats who NAV
return or with their more thoughtful
cOmpatrlotS who did not 90 of. they
are very frank to say so, and they
should be very frankly answered.
The Democratic party is not swap
ping. expelling or soliciting voters. 1t
leaves the citizen free to settle his own
personal relation to parties. 1t is a
party of Jefer 'onian principles, pa
triotic policy and reform practice Such
citizens rs are satisfied with it on these
accounts will vote with it. Such C tt
Zens as favor these excel ent qualities,
but who think they can in the long run
be attained by party other than the
Democratic party, N Ike a mistake.
Such citizens rs are against the prin-
ciples, policy and results of Democracy
ought to vote against it, until they get
more light or more morality into their
politics. The Democratic party does
not regard the secession from Cleveland
1, ferred to as representat,vely either a
Catholic or an Irish detection. 1t was
principally, not solely, confined to the
membership of some secret societies,
which have no antagonist so marked As
the authorities of the Catholic Church
and no opponents more pronounced
than rational and we'll informed
Irishmen in every land. The great
mass of worshiping, not nominal.
Catholics determined their political
course by considerations iu-t like those
IN I'm tinnc mil ,.o.,- "a tLnl - -.