Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-06-08
THE Ninth PLANK.
The Three Distinct Lines Of Policy
Which Struggled for Supremacy
in thu Democratic Ranks.
Eysry Democrat IN T. xa9 Free to kd.
v8cate aEy FarE OF Prohibition Ex.
e5pt "%sk:e PrshibilIan."
I'FInaJi,y" Ospnot E1terd beyond TEo
Yssrs-How thu Fort Worth Plat
form VIM fl CT Prohibition
BY B a. CARROLL,

| BY B q. CARROLL.
Since the election last summer three
distinc. lines Of future policy have strug-
gled fer supremacy in the Democratic
ranks. One, ycleped the "Heart Of Oak"
sired by such distinguished leaders as
Clark, Shepard and Chiffon, demanded
that prohibition, In idea and principle,
should be declared sumptusry and snti-
Democratic. Another, championed by
the Hon. Dick WYnne ct al insisted that
there should be platform silence On pro-
hibltion as principle, but as the late
election made it dead issue, the result
should be accepted by Democrats as the
fiuality OF vexed question. A third, ad-
v0csted by-by- ("Why name ms melan-
choly ffiends?"O-urged that one's con-
viction upon tha local, police regulation,
whether pro or con, should not affect his
stsrdiDg in tie Democratic party.
The relative STRENGTH of these respect
i've policies has not been tested before lie
Democratic masses.
But quasi test among the Democratic
fpnliuciars occurred recently in the Fort
Worth convention.
II being a presidential year, sud there
fore most suspicious in Tins, this test
Was precipifated by the advocates OF the
first line ofpolIcY. All preliminary steps
necessary TO victory had been taken.
The result is embedded in the following
utterspce:
"9. That we accept the result of the
vote on the proposed amendments Of the
| state constitution on the question Of
state prohibition, st the election held on
the 4sh Of August, 1887, as 8 fHality; and
the Democratic party Ct the s ate of Texas
deprecstes and will oppose any movement
| looking to the reopeDing or further sgi
tstion OF the question Of state proaiDi,
ton"
1t appears from the published report Of
lrocee dings that This declaration
was unanimously recommended by 3
mixed committee on platform, and was,
| by whcop end hurrsh HithC NJ discussion,
unanimously adopted By the whole con-
vention.
Whereupon, the whole state br,stles
with Interrogation points:
| (Which If the three lines Ut policy pre-
ya,led2" sis it authoritative, and bind
ing upon the Democratic massesi"
"What does it mean?" "How do YOU
construe i'2' 'Does it align the Demo
cratic party against prohibition
"What will be it's practical results2"
care ecu satisfied"
Every splinter in the plank has been
under the microscope. lis ductility has
been tested by drawing i out, under pull
ing 81 each end, III to 6 thread so stteru
sted as to De without Strength or Visibil
ity. Its malleability mas been developed
bY steady hsrmoniz!pg until square
inch paragraph is made wide enough to
cover all the state and all future time,
becoming go thin, however, By too much
| spreading IS to be transparent and fragile
as goessmer. It's feasibility has been
demonstrated in the furnsce Of criticism
until, Ike liquid iron, 1t can be run for
final hardening into any mould whatever.
Under the crossiigh!s OF conflicting
constructions 1t appears with more heads
than the hydra, more arms than Briareus,
more eyes than Argus, more shapes than
Proteus and more meanings than the
du ,inus utterances OF the Delphic oracle.
"frohibitlon is buried forever"
neart OF OAK PLANK is culled
cut" growls the radically anti News.
at is stronger than my heert-cf oak
PLANK" ssys G.
"It is the very thing l advocated when
plank in the county convention" says M.
SIT is q doemat:c lamentstio2 ever the
past and fulnen bIutum regarding the
future, combined, and is doing more t
resuscitste that obstreperous corpse than
to perform its obst quies. X is an Irish
wake over thai corpse, and not peace"
says the inimitable sarcastic L.
at settles the question forever" says
| q fgyUa Hona CO. nrnhikitinn fool
ishness for all time to come"
Says the Austin Statesman: "The
Fort Worth declaration is not binding
upon Democrats, srd will not finally dis
pose Of the issue. The greatest sbsurdi-
suppress any issue that divides party or
the people of sll parties. The issue lives
until all men are Of one mind"
ut is the quintesseuce Of the heart-of-
osk plank" says pro.
az regard it as crow" says sn equally
prominent anti, "snd SO take it."
And so the criticism goes or sd tnfini-
tum.
Still it will bear one more analysis.
/. Which Of the three conflicting lines
of policy Is embodied in il? Evidently
and substantially the second, with
slight shading nom the otner TWO. Ii is
IS widely variant from the so.cslled
"heert of-oak" as from the last. To any
thoughtful mind there must be a wide
and radical difference between the
"heart-of-osk" plank on the ore hand,
which sought to change the dictionaries
by making prohibition sumptuary-
which condemned 1t per Sc, which de-
clsred 1t in principle and idea fuudsmen-
tally wrong sid snti-Democratic, and on
the other hand q mere acceptance Of
popular verdict n The latter comedies no
wrong in prohibition but popular disfsvor
a lack of sufficient votes. The same
serene resignation to public opinion,
would under reversed circumstances
make 1t exceedingly right, proper and
Democratic. Moreover, tie heart OF oak
in prescribing prohibition in principle,
logically condemns 1t in all Its forms.