San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-12-11
CONSISTENT AT LEAST.

The late election has changed moth
ing save that it has transferred the
control of the government from the
hands of the democratic party tc
those of the republican party. BY
changing nothing is meant that the
policies and declarations and efforts
of the parties have not changed, only
their positions with reference to con-
troll of national affairs. This matter
is fully understood by the intelli-
gence and leaders Of the party and no
attempt will be made by them to dis
guise it. They stand or fall COM
mitted to the ideas of free trade as
enunciated by President Cleveland
in his anti-election message and as
expressed in the Mills bill and the
debates upon that measure, and
which message, bill and debates
were accepted by the national demo-
cratic convention at st. Louis as en-
bodying the principles and policy OF
the democratic party in its holdings
upon the question of tariff. This
view of the case is patent, and that
the democratic party must continue
to stand to and abide by those
authoritative utterances Of the
party, committing it to free trade
policy, and attempting the consume
ton of that policy in legislative acts,
cannot be seriously questioned. This
view of the case is that taken by out
tic ipurpalS 1npparn-
ing whose ingram democracy there
can be no dispute, as saith the Gal
weston News in its issue of Friday
last:
"The democratic party will be a
free trade party or nothing. Or else it
will seek to inherit the plumber of the
republican party and take the sins as
offal with the tallow, and become
thoroughly corrupt"
The whole extract is given in order
order to emphasize the distinction
which the editor of the News seems
so anxious to make between the par
ties. Passing by the demagogic charge
that the republican party has nothing
to bequeath the country but plumber,
the above excerpt contains two state
ments: First, the democratic party
must be free trade party or nothing;
second, if it does not become free
trade party it must become thorough
Iy corrupt. The LIGHT will not quar-
rel with the conclusions of the News.
1t makes this reference to the matter
in order to call attention, plain and
unmista bable, to the position of the
responsible democracy on the tariff
question Free trade of thorough
corruption" OF this fact the protec-
ton democrats in Texas, and they are
legion, and all over the country, and
they are a mighty host, will take
timely notice. How many of the hon
est advocates of protection in the
ranks of the democratic party, will
accept this conclusion? How many
will go with the democracy on ac-
count of it's time-hOn ored name, and
commit themselves to free trade
heresies, and all that the free trade
policy proposes, because they have
not the courage of their convictions
on this one question of all absorbing
interest? If the democracy are COM
mitted to free trade or thorough cor
ruption, and the protection democrat
follows his convictions and does not
endorse free trade, what will he do?
If he remains democrat, and yet re-
pudiates free trade, he becomes thor
oughly corruptaccording to theauthor-
ity of the News. He can only do one
thing, become republican, and seek to
carry out the protection and educa-
tional policies of that party. The
whole duty of a democrat is most
plainly laid down by the News, and
the News is good democratic gospel in
Texas. The roads open are-free
trade; thorough corruption as a pro-
lection democrat; republicanism.
THE Southern Mercury comes out
strong for deep water port on the
coast of Texas. In a late issue it says:
Another congressional election in
Texas does not come off until 1890;
woe to any congressman from Texas
who does not battle early and late for
the concentration of a liberal appro-
priation on the most available point
on the Texas coast"
The most available point and at the
least cost is exactly what the Denver