The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-02-24
ONLY A "sPooK."
The Return of the Dem ocracy to Power
Not Disgraced by Partisan Scramble.

The Return of the Democracy to POWER
Not Disgraced by Partisan Scramble.
There has been one circumstance at
tendant upon the return of the Democ-
racy to power which impressed Mr..
Cleveland very deeply, and to which he
constantly refers with qualification and
pride. When, after twenty-five years
of exile, the Democratic party was re-
stored to it's old supremacy, there was
an apprehension that the country would
be given over to hungry spoilsmen, and
public place be made the reward of
more or less disreputable party service.
The Republican organs had preached
this forbidding doctrine. For two whole
decades conservative people had been
terrorized by the grisly prospect. Hon
est and patriotic men in tens OF thou
sands had been constrained by the fear
that decentralization would come in
with the Democrats, and order and re-
spectability and seemliness 60 out with
the Republicans.
This appalling spook, conjured up
by dishonest Republican zeal. has been
robbed of its menace by Democratic
moderation and patriotism. The
hungry scramble. predicted SO conf
IDENTIFY and expected with such shrink
ING, has not occurred. Excluded from
office for a quarter of century and
maligned with bitterness sufficient to
provoke almost any reprisal, the De-
mocracy have borne themselves with
temperance and self-control which
have won for them the esteem and
commentator of the entire country.
There has been no rash, no discordant
chorus of importantly. The Demo
cratic masses have cordially CO.
operated with Mr.. Cleveland in his pol
icy of regarding public Office as pub
lie trust. They believed that he meant
to distribute the patronage in the in
terest of the country, with a view to
elevating the service and securing to
the people the fruits of honest govern
ment. They applauded his declared
purpose of setting up a lofty standard
of eligibility to place, and above all,
they rallied to his banner of Civil-Serv-
ice reform, and lent him their coun-
! tenance and encouragement in the
crusade against incompetency and cor
ruptiOn. bFa ~ sH- e. eh.s
If ever a. political organization put
aside the temptations of place and per-
quisite and devoted itself to self-abne-
cation, the Democratic party has done
these things. So far from embarrass-
ing the President in his work it has held
up his hands. The country has been
RECALLED with the wholly novel specta-
Gle of party, practically new to pow
er and unused to its responsibilities,
not only consenting to but helping to
! contrive the employment of its ascend
eney to purely patriotic ends. Mr..
| Cleveland has been left free to realize
his plans, and has been approached by
the Democratic masses only so far as
was necessary to assure him of their
sympathy and confidence.
The President would be strangely
ungrateful if he failed to appreciate
this cooperation by his party. AS a
matter of fact, he does appreciate it.
He makes it the subject of constant
eulogy, and ranks it among the most
gratifying and Strengthening Of his
resources. 1t has shown him that the
attitude of the Democratic party dur
ing the campaign was sincere; that its
declared principles were not mere
catch-penny protestations thrown out
to dazzle and delude the country. He
feels that in the great work he has laid
out he is sustained by the dearest and
deepest convictions of his party, and
he has been taught by experience to
realize that, in this quest for the
greatest good, and in this effort to ele-
vate and purify the machinery of our
institutions, he is not in advance Of,
but simply abreast with, the patriotic
and intelligent millions who elected
| HMM Y Star.