Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-08-27
DEMOCRACY UhMASKED.

Last week we called attention Il
the clashings of Democratic plat
forms in the several Congressional
districts of our State. 1t will bC
remembered that the Ninth district
or Southwest, Democrats adopted
thorough-going protection plat
form, while here they put forward
"dyed.in the.wo0lp British free
trader. Both of these are white
districts and their political and in
dustrial interests are identicallS
the same. Trigg, ofthe Southwest
voted to take up the Morrison "hori
zontalp to impoverish his own peo
pie and enrich New York importers,
and he was gracefully but heavily
sat down upon by the convention
for 40 doing. Col. O'Ferrall did
the same thing, but as he had prac'
tically no opposition, he stands re-
nominated. But all Democrats
must go into a caucus, and this
makes them all alike In the end
From this there is no escape unless
one be chosen who, though a Dem
ocrat, is possessed of an independ-
ence that will enable him to repre-
sent his own people (as forty-seven
of them did last winter, and leave
all others to do the same. Such
was the line pursued by representa-
tive men before the mandates OF
king caucus and million dollar lob
bies became more potent in our
legislative halls than the voice OF
the constituent body.
Here is the real Democratic doc
trine as laid down by that orthodox
paper, the Louisville COarier.Journ'
al, owned and controlled by the
most influential member of the
kitchen cabinet, Henri Watterson
otis reported that the Demo
Gratis of the Ninth Virginia Con-
gressional district have held con-
vention, adopted a platform favor
ing a protective tariff and the Blair
Educational bill, and nominated
one X. r. Henry on that platform.
"If this is true, the real Demo
Gratis of the district should repudi.
ate the platform and the nominee,
hold another convention and NOM
mate a Democratupon Democrat
ic platform.
"The platform put forth by the
convention already held, if our in
formation is correct, is in direct
conflict with the last National plat
form of the Democratic party. No
set of men announcing their ale
glance to such a platform have a
right to call themselves Democrats.
If Mr.. Henry stands on a platform
favoring protection and Federal aid
to education, he has no more rea'
son to ask Democratic support than
if he we're the nominee of a regular
Republican convention.
ave trust that the genuine Dem
ocrats of the Ninth Virginia dis.
trict will maintain the principles of
Democracy in their purity, and
keep up an aggressive party or
ganization on such principles. They
can do neither if they allow them
selves to be seduced into support
ing protectionists and centraliza-
tionists.'
This is the true Democratic doc
trine and outlines the policy always
pursued after election. Inc people
who follow the dodgers here do so
to their own detriment, and, we are
sorry to say 1t, because they cannot
unloose the collars which rings and
cliques have riveted upon them.
A few more months of money de-
preston and hard times generally
will bring them to a realizing sense
of their true condition and the
remedy therefor. A little more
squeezing and then the hallooing
will begin.