Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-21

successful. The time was not long
enough for the truth, simple though Il is
to the enlightened, to force itself through
the prejudices engendered by bold mis-
representation. The Republicans opened
the fight with the N object of making
the more easily deceived classes believe
that President Cleyeland's policy was
rash free trade. 70 that plan of action
they adhered. Their campaign meet
ings, their newspapers and their litera-
ture reeked with the accusation OF free
trade.
The agricultural part of any people is
the last to leave an idea to which it has
become attached. The habit of voting
the Republican ticket and believing Re-
publican statements began in the North
during the war and still remains. More
than once in the past year the farmers
have hesitated and wavered as the plain
common sense Of tariff reform Was driven
home. But at the last moment habit
and prejudice reasserted themselves and
they voted with their party.
Why should the stanch Democratic
party be cast down? What are four years
compared with the hundred of magnif-
cent achievements in its history OF the
other centuries in its destiny? Other
parties have risen on a temporarily sue
cessful opposition and have died ont as
the country returned to its institutions.
For in the Democratic party lies the
spirit of the republic. 1t is the custodian
and repository of every purely American
idea. Extreme class protection is not
an American idea. 1t is an idiOtic pro-
duct Of English tOryism, enforced to its
fullest extent as long as the Tories were
rulers and the people had no rights Of
suffrage.
The mission of the Democratic party
is to destroy this exotic from an aristo-
cratic form Of government. Never doubt
that the destruction will come. -Four
years will be enough. One year has been
nearly enough. The people will read and
think, their blood cooled and their preju-
dices lulled, about what they could hard
ly take time to read and could not think
about with the din of partisanship in
their ears.
Free people always follow common
sense in the end. A little time for read
ing and hand to hand discussion and
they gradually move forward toward the
light. In this tariff reform issue the
strong hand of Grover Cleveland has set
the light very high and there are a
million ardent Democrats who will see
that it burns steadily.
To q man who has faith in the perma-
nency Of a free government, a second
success like that just won by the Repub-
Leans is impossible. By the very Shrek
ing which alarmed certain bodies CT
wOrkingmen in New York they have pre-
pared ridicule for themselves when the
scare is over. Democrats need fear not
at all for 1892. The reaction will bring
us victory. And for that man Of daunt-
less heart and penetrating vision who
has dignified Democracy by a statement
Of its faith so luminous that the trained
intellect of the country has gathered
around it in a body; who has dignifed
the land we live in and love by making
it a powerful influence among nations;
for him we have only praise and loyalty.
To his party and his country he has been
a faithful servant. His name will grow
in the regard of the people, and when the
overwhelming victory Of just tariff re-
form comes, to him we will look back as
the liberatOr who struck the hardest
blow at the shackles of a commercial
slavery.