Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-03-20
Democracy and Office.

Democracy anu OuhCc'
Evidently Prest. Grover Cleye-
and does not think that profession
Of Democracy, sO-called, involves
the title to an office large or small.
He could not inaugurate the spoliS-
system pure and simple, withou;
repudiating the powerful independ-
ent Republican help he received al
the polls, and thus breaking down
his administration on the thresh-
old of its existence. All this was
plain to everybody during the
canvass, except to the "boys. -
Now that the latter have gotten
over the first thrill of delight at a
so-called Democratic victory now
that they have ceased to repeat
platitudes about " waiting twenty
four years to get honest govern.
ment," sand other similar nonsense.
will they begin to think that with
the great body of the well-informed
American people, political partl
is accepted as the agency OF public
policy more than the means OF CIV
ing Office OF indulging hatreds
VIII obey learn tolerance, forbear.
ance and charity towards others
who happen to differ with them IN
mere op Dion? If Mr. Cleveland s
administration shall effect these
beaofcen results, then indeed
viii a Democratic restoration to
powey prove a public blessing, and
nowhere more than IN virginia
where Democracy, so-called, for a
long lme Oas meant only a super
stiuous intolerance and wicked
prescription for opinions sake.
Ba, as TO the Offices. It is plain
that thousands Of the "boys Will
be Disappointed, and we are sorry
SINCERELY sorry for the "boys.
When they imagined in Shenan
doah county for instance that the
best way to establish their "titl'
10 a mansion in the skies the
mansion being an Office in this case
was TO abuse Readjusters and Re
puOlicaus, they were only follow
ing the perniciOus teachings ol
their leaders. If put on oath To
define Democracy of the modern
pattern, just as likely as not. they
would have mixed up some old.
tine states rights theory of JeiieI.
son. with some Of the notions OF
Andrew jackson about bank ana
tariff. But the offices are $40"
in coming to the "bOys,' and there
is much less of confidence in De-
mOcracy so-called than when the
novel. Civilizations over Cleveland S
election was asserting itself. Ii
will take time for the average So
called Democrat to unC erstan Il
that the inauguration of a Demo
cratic President in 1885 means
something more, aud something
less, thsn it did in 1928, when
Jackson came in with the proclaim
ed policy that " to the victors be-
long the spoiIs." They forget that
jackson is dead; that the country
is half a century older than 1t was
then: that colleges, schools church
es, newspapers, railways aud tele'
graphs have been doing a gIea'
work; that the spoils system has
grown with the growth Of popu'a-
ton and wealth until it has become
a hideous, gnawing cancer on the
body polite, and that it was the
reckless abuse of the spoils-SyS
tenn that madea quarter ola million
of the most intelligent Republicans
of the country more than tll up
the paDs I'm the Democratic ranks
made bv The desertion of the worst
element. of Democratic spOllsmen'
All these obvious truths we're con-
iessed Uy The average Democrat
before tue election; but Democratic
instinct deluded itself with the
common idea that while civil ser
vice reform is a very good thing 10
carry an election, it is not to De
Thought oil IN garnering the fruits
Of q political victory.
There are many, very many ih
tell,oent men of all parties, VINO
now differ hOm the average Demo
cratic idea that national political
revolution means chiefly a change
of public Oliclals-tho reward OF
PARTY friends and the punishment
OF party enomies. 1t would be oil
comparatively little consequence
how many intelligent people thus
differed from the average Demo
cratic politician; but there Is one
man who happens to differ rom
them very positively. whose diner
ence is of great practical moment
That one man is Grover Cleveland
who happens to be the President
OF the United States and who IS
committed to a public policy incon-
sistent with his expectations Of the
so.called Democrats who voted for
him and shouted themselves hoarse
over his election.
The situation in Afghanistan re-
mains in the strained condition
depicted IN the dispatches ofyester.
day. The Russians have undoubt-
eddy aaca6ccd beyond the limits