The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-07-12
paoMlse AND PERFORMANCE.

rhe Democratic Party HAS Always Been
Long" ON the Former and short ON
the Latter.
The Democratic party has determined to
narrow the coming campaign TO q single
Issue. The platform st 6t Louis follows
tho example Of the Presidents message,
and Ii limited, In reality, TO single plank
The other issues, real or pretended, which
have done service for many year are lost
10 sight. The currency question lies dor
mant. BY the deliberate expression Of
platform which IL 10 announced was ap-
proved before its adoption In every word
and letter BY Mr.. Cleveland, the Civil-Serv-
Ice reform issue, which gave him, through
promises that he failed TO keep, SO stronga
support four years ago, is wholly aban-,
doned. The civil service part Of tho plat
form commends, as II In 40 many words,
the dispensation Of public patronage for po-
litical reward. Tho tariff and the tariff only,
Is the point on which tho Democracy will
seek to win.
Now, It is not necessary, says the st. Paul
Pioneer Press, to consider, for tho present,
how for the position Of tho party and the
ill-concealcd tendencies that are behind II,
lean toward " FREQ trade" Tho expression
is not . happy one, though the ultra tariff
protestants do little to conceal tho fact that
this is the goal which they strive to reach
as rapidly as possible. Nor need we even
tako the Mills bin, buffeted or bcrated by
tho representatives Of every section and
every State, as tho measure Of tho Demo
cratic idea Of tari6 reduction. II 10 true
that o party whose best effort Is tho pro-
duction Of blu which repois enemies and
friends alike, and which is fashioned on
principles 80 unfair and partial that oven
the man who will voto for 1t apologies In so
doing by saying that IL 10 all he can get,
Ia not party that can command confidence
when IL proposes to rcmodela great indus
trial system. But we may waive even this
point, and suppose, for tho sake Of argu-
ment, that the issue 10 really tariff reduc-
ton, and that the Democratic party contains
ability enough to reduce tho tariff without
injustice or injury to tho American indus
tries. On the basis Of the hypothesis far
more favorable TO the party that fair.mind-
cd mon will admit to be tho fact, lot us SEQ
what reason there is why an honest tariff
reformer should persuade himself that he
can or ought to vote the Democratic tickct
II IL o fact Of history which can not be
pondercd too often or too thoughtfully, that
the only reduction of the tariff made since
tho close Of the war was tho work Of Re-
publican Congress- The profession of tho
Democratic party that It IL for low tariff Is
not o thing of recent dato. Tho tariff for
revenue only" declaration goes back great
many years. It ought to be, as much as any
thing, cardinal principle Of the Demo-
cratic faith. II was fundamental plank Of
tho platform In 1870. And, whilo processing
this opinion, tho party has been in control
OF Congress- several times. What has IL
done m performance of its pledgesi Not TO
go too far back, wo may noto that tho Demo-
Gratis havo been majority in tho lower
House ever since 1888. 1t will be six years
next March since the Republicans had ma
jority Of the direct representatives Of the
people. Six years ought to be long enough
to test tho good faith Of any profession. In
those six years, the eye Of the poorest poll
tician could ace that reform Of the tariff,
independent Of party considerations, was
becoming more and more Of principal i'm
portance. In oil that time, the public debt
was decreasing and the danger Of u Treasury
surplus was clearly apparent. There is not
one item Of tho situation as it is to-day
which was not foreseen and predicted half
q dozen years ago. II was, then, tho part
Of those m power to make an effort to pro-
vide for what they saw coming. To this
they wore bound not only by the logic Of the
situation, but by tho promises which they
had made over and over again Of completing
tariff changes.
And yet, N all these years, with all their
platforms and party professions behind
them, no Democratic measure for tho ro-
duction OF duties has ever passed the
House Of Representatives There have
been bills, there has been agitation, there
has been unlimited waste OF time in gen.
eral debate, but Of action, nothing. 1t Is
not profitable to consider whether this is
duo to deliberate intention to deceive or to
nero impotence. In tho light Of promise
made and abandoned, tho question whether
the promiser uttered fasehood or only
went beyond his ability to perform cuts no
figure. For this experience of the past
foreshadows the future. The elements OF
the party arc unchanged. Barnum and
German and Randall arc still in the party,
and propose to resign no particle of their
influence in shaping its course. There is
no more reason to-day to believe that the
Democratic party, IL once moro continued
In power, would be faithful to its pledges of
tariff reduction than there was six or four
years ago; nay, therc is infinitely less, be-
cause 1t has been tried and found wanting,
II has been trusted snd proved false Com
pairing promise with performance, we ask
any sincere advocate Of tariff reform with
what hope or grace or conscience he can
vote tho Democratic ticket this year.
Mrs. Logan m Politics.
The ono great favorite at the Chicago con-
vention was Mrs. Logan, tho widow Of Gen.
eral John A. Logan, Her reception by all