New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-05
THEY THINK TIE PEOPLE FOOLS.

THEY THINK TIE PEOPLE FOOLS.
The party which stakes everything on the
public ignorance in the long run cannot win'
The Democratic party, powerful thirty years
ago when there were few newspapers and tclc-
graphs, is still controlled by men who represent
the sparsely settled South, where compA atlveiy
few voters have better sources of information
than the nearest grocery or post Office where
most Of those who read are limited to the
weekly newspaper with its necessarily re-
stricted information of current events, ana
where tho working people, white or black are
especially ill-informed. One has to remehioe OF
these conditions Of Democratic success at the
South, in order to comprehend the amazing IN
capacity of the Democratic party to adapt IT,
self to the wishes and interests of Intelligent
voters.
The convention at st. Louis illustrates the
party it represents. Correspondents give long
lists of officials who are in actual ATTENDANCE
some as delegates and others as the bosses or
managers of delegates Reports OF state ana
district conventions, at which these delegates
were chosen, have likewise been crowded WIN
the names of Federal officials, who earned thcf
bread and butter by managing for the renom-
ination of the dispenser Of patronage. Yet the
convention, with perfect contempt for the peo-
pie. will solemnly resolve that the President
merits glorifcaton for his reform of the Civil
Service. Men who do not believe in and rely
upon the ignorance of voters would never be
caught in an attitude so plainly implying dis
honesty
The Thurman business is cut from the same
piece of goods President Cleveland refused
~ nj Cabinet
because he was too old. Mr.. Thurman was
born in Lynchburg, Va, November 3, 1913,
and was then seventy-one years and four
months old. Now he is in his seventy-hfth
year, will be seventy-fve next November, be-
fore his term Of office as Vice-President could
begin, and would be seventy-nine before 1t
could end, and yet he is not too old, In Mr.
Cleveland's opinion, to be chosen Vice-Presl-
dent, with the wearying and laborious duties
of presiding officer Of the Senate and with the
possibility that the Office of President may fall
to him. He is feeble old man, vigorous in
mind but infrm in body. The selection of
such man for Vice-President is pitiable con-
fession that President Cleveland, after four
years in office, feels the need Of the legs OF
decrept old man to help him in running.
Could such a selection be seriously considered
bv any party which did not count upon the ig-
norance of the people?
The Presidents party proposes to dodge an
issue on which its candidate and its Congress
men are committed beyond recovery. 1t will
carefully avoid in its platform, dispatches in
dicate any explicit affirmation Of the Free
Trade theories which the President set forth
so plainly in his message 1t will carefully
ind Of
Trade bill, to which 159 Democrats in the
House out of 169 are said to be committed, and
which the Democratic caucus has formally Or
dered all Democrats to support. 1t makes no
real difference whether the st. Louis platform
says much, or little, or nothing at all about the
tariff But the fact that the leading men of
the party are inclined to dodge the issue, even
at this late day, is revelation of their char
acter. The fact is that voters Of any intelli-
gence will Judge the party by what it has done
and tried to do, in every session of Congress
for years, and not by the phrases used in its
platform. They will Judge the candidate by
his deliberate declarations in the only Presi-
dents message which was ever devoted eX-
clusively to the tariff question. and not by any
platform platitudes. But the amazing con-
tempt Of Democratic managers for the supposed
ignorance of the people is revealed in the very
discussion of evaSve phrases, after the Presl-
dent had delivered his message and the party
has acted in caucus and in the House.
Indeed, this does not tell the whole story.
The President, whom the party will unani-
mously renominate, has not only forced this
issue upon the party, but has openly used his
vast executive power to bully or bride Dem
ocratic Representatives into betrayal of the
wishes of their constituents. In putting him
up as a candidate, the convention definitely
proposes to the people that the executive
power shall be used for four years to come in
tbe same way, to crush the independence of
Democrats who wish to serve the interests Of
their constituents to bride with offices or
coerce with threats of executive disfavor those
who dissent from the Presidents free-trade
plans. Yet the same party thinks it cunning
TO refrain from explicit approval Of the bill
which The President has been trying TO force
through the House, or Of the message which
contains the deliberate declarations Of the
candidate il nominates What unmitigated
fools the voters Of this country must be-
if these Democratic managers are right in their
judgment
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