The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-03-27
THE NATIONAL ISSUE.
A Necessity to the Successful Existence OF
the Democratic Parts.

the Democratic Parts.
The adjournment of the Fiftieth
Congress with the Democratic reform
bill defeated by the Senate, the Senate
bill left unconsidered because of its
unconstitutionality, and the Cowles
bill smothered, will leave the issue be-
tween the parties exactly as it was
made by the St. Louis and Chicago
platforms. The Republicans may
abandon the Chicago platform in the
Fifty-trst Congress and attempt to
draw tariff bill on their former
theory OF Incidental protection, but
the Democratic party will not change
it's attitude. In our present politics
the question of tariff is the only one
which presents issues on which a Ma
tional party can be held together.
The Republican party, distinctly Sec
tional, and holding its theories of the
tariff in subserviency to wealthy cor
porations in single section. plays
for powcr by forcing sectionalism as
an issue above all others. 1t has not
yet felt the need of a distinctly Ma
tional issue and there is no immediate
prospect that it will do 80.
To tho Democratic party, on the
other hand, a National issue involving
its historic principles is a necessity of
existence. Except as a National par
ty. it can not exist at all. 1t was only
by resisting sectionalism and forcing
the National issue of low taxation and
economical Government that its or
ganization survived the shock of war
in which it was the peace party and
held together with increasing strength
for twenty-four years, during which
the administration and patronage
were in the hands of the war party,
backed by the military power organ
lied as a sectional party, and operat-
ing on a sectional basis. Following
this National policy, the Democratic
party has gained steadily on the popu-
lar vote since 1861. The result of the
advocacy of a low tariff for revenue is
illustrated by the increased vote of the
twenty years since 1868. The follow
ing table exhibits it:
Seymour Tin "a Siates) 7O9 G13
Greeley lin 81 Slates) &, SO 1919
Iiden in u States) 4,2s46So
Cleveland issD -. ..4,9ii,ol7
Cleveland (1SSS) 5A, 16S
These figures show that the Demo-
cratic National vote has more than
kept pace with the growth of the
country. When, after the surrender
of 1872 and the nomination of pro-
tectionist, the party nominated Dem
ocrat in 1876 on tariff-for-revenue-
only platform, it elected him and
po!led more than a majority of the
popular vote. With its "tariff-a-local-
ISSUE candidate in 1880, the party
gained only $4,000 votes over 1876;
but in 1884 it gained 479, 900 over 1880;
and in 1883 623, 151 over 1884
The Tilden vote of 1876 on the tariff
reform issue gave the Democratic
party its rightful place as the National
party When Hancock shirked the
National issue the majority vote went
to Garfield, but it came back to Cleve-
land, who not only held it but in
creased it on the single National issue
of tariff reform against war sectional
ism and war taxation.
Take away this National issue and
the sectional party may be as sectional
as it pleases without losing control of
the Government. provided it maintains
a semblance of decency aad curbs its
propensity for wholesale plumber. If
the Democratic party dared abandon
the only important National issue in
our politics, it would not have fight
ing chance in a single one of the
Northern States, and the Southern
States would become Republican as
soon as the Republican party would
let Them St. Louis Republic.