Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-12-07
The Duty of Democrats.
Courier-J Journal.

As general, and for the moment a
sufficient answer to the query, "What
shall we do ?" constantly and natur-
ally heard among Democrats, We may
observe that the country has elected
us to do nothing.
If it be often a good thing to let well
enough alone, it is occasionally wise
thing to let bad enough alone. We
shall have two years to determine what
we ought to do before we are required
to choose a new Congress and four
years before we are required to choose
a new President. Meanwhile, and
particularly in the hour of defeat, only
selfish, small and captious spirits will
fume and worry over the irremediable.
This is decidedly no time for mock
heroics, except among the Republi-
cans. Among Democrats, it should be
a time for sober self-inspection and
serious reflection, taking in the whole
range of the political field.
There are those who think, or affect
to think, that the battle was lost to us
on account Of the tariff issue. If that
be true, it were better so; for brave
and honest men, who fight for a
cause, can afford to be beaten, sure
that truth will rise again, and they
with it. There are those, again, who
think that defeat might have been
averted by better management; the
moie's the pity; since this view leaves
behind it the sting OF that kind of re-
morse which comes from sense of
lost opportunities. Our own impress
sion amounts to something more than
conviction, being, indeed the result of
knowledge in detail not in the posses
sion of the public, and immaterial now
seeing that it is no longer of any avail
though it may not be improper to say,
in answer to some ill-advised detrac-
ton, that among those who had
charge of the political workings of the
campaign, there are not two opinions
about it.
On this point the least said the
soonest mcnded. Nobody, inspired by
an intelligent and just responsibility,
will pretend that there was, with per-
haps single exception, premeditated
OF conscious treachery in the party
anywhere. From the President down,
every one connected with the CAM
paign did his best, according to his
lights, to do his duty; and, but for
personal and local troubles in the
State of New York, tn. political con-
ditions of the moment would be exact
ly reversed. So much for our side.
But, as the Democrats have not
found their migrations between Dan
and Beersheba the last four years an
uninterrupted round of picnics, we
imagine that the Republicans will, in
turn, find the Jordan ahead of them
an exceedingly hard road to travel.
In the first place, they will have to
deal with an enormous and ever-in-
creasing surplus in the National Treas
ury-wrung from the people by unjust
taxation-and there are but two ways
of disposing of this, either by remov-
ing the sources of it, or wasting its
substance on riotous legislation.
Take whichever horn of this dilem-
ma they please, they may exploit, but
they are not likely to enjoy them
selves.
In the next place, they are COM
mitted to what they call free elections
and fair count in the Southern
States, and this involves new sec
tional and sentimental crusade, the |
end of which will be the destruction
of all business interests, North and
South, and such a financial convul-
sion as the country has never seen be-
fore.
We do not believe that the policy of |
negro domination, tried unsuccessfully |
by Gen. Grant during eight years of |
absolute power, can be made to sue
ceed now.
In the third place, Gen. Harrison
will be no happier in tackling the pat
ronage than Mr.. Cleveland has been,
and, when the Republicans in Con-
gress came to meet the affirmative re-
sponsibilities of legislation, and to set
up a policy of creation, the sectional
and belicose inspirations which held
them together during the campaign |
will break before the needs of larger |
geography, and the mercenary de-
mands of the shent-per-shent mono
lists.
On all these lines they will be met
by a united Democracy.
Taxes must be general, not special.
Expenditures must be frugal, not
wasteful.
At all hazards, local self-govern-
ment must he maintained.
In the long run, the country will
accept no trumped-up pretexts for the
evasion or subsection of any one of
these immortal principles of our Or
ganic law, holding that, under the
system of checks and balances estab-
lished by it-on the one hand, through
the National Government, within its
orbit, and on the other hand through
the State Governments exercising that
right OF hon rule which is as essen
tial to Pennsylvania as to Mississippi,
and more essential to Rhode Island
and Connecticut than in Texas-every
real evil in our body polite can be
reached and remedied without resort
to higher laws, or extra constitutional
jurisdictions and tribunals, born of