Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-08-01
Democratic Behold Your Party,

The democratic party in earlier DAYS
had some fixed principles, everywhere
openly procIaimed; but it has none now
save what its national conventions ehb-
crate to fit such presidential candidates
as Greeley, Hancock. or Cleveland, and
subject to quadrennial changes and mys-
LITIGATION. Once States rights and the
resolutions of 49, were in the forefront
of the democratic creed; but all this has
vanished, and no one now pretendS to
fear national invasion of the rights of
any state. Another ringing article of
their creed was hard money. Bentonian
gold, instead of paper money. which they
denounced as being made only of rags
and lamp black" strange to say. there is
hardly anything now that can be invent
ed for circulation too cheap or too soft
and rickety for the major part of the par
ty. The time has been when the party
was wont to denOunce all internal i'm
prOvementS as unconstitutional; but now
no appropriations for such works appear
too eXtravagant to find elastic support in
a democratic house of representatives.
The party once claimed as its patent of
superiority the equal rights and privileg-
es of all men: but in eleven states such
rights and privileges are denied and re-
fused to millions of American citizens
by those who masquerade and aim to
dominate under the name of the demo
cratic party. The party, forgetting that
it is ITSELF as the author OF the rebellion,
the sole cause of the extraordinary ne
cessity for the great increase of revenue.
puts forth the banner of revenue re-
form, under which it covertly battles
for free trade. but quivers and recoils
from any deep cut of tariff duties on Lou
isiana sugar. or South Carolina rice, or
Pennsylvania iron, or Tennessee marble,
or North Carolina peanuts, or Florida
oranges, these being largely prod ucts of
Democratic districts. and districts there
fore dangerous to touch with free trade
reform. Once the democratic party was
wont to declare and repeat that the ex-
ecutlve power had increased. was in
creasing, and ought to be diminished;
but in spite of President Cleveland S
many and frantic vetoes; in spite of his
depositing sixty millions of public money
in pet banks without interest and with
out law; in spite of his appointments.
without the advice and consent of the
senate. of ministers minus the title) to
negotiate treaties; in spite of his attempt
to govern congress by giving or with
holding executive favOrs in order to eff
feet the repeal of all duties on wool. and
to prevent the repeal of the internal tax
on tobacco. the party made no protest
against the undue exercise of extrao-di
nary executive power. which seems to
have reached growth not less colossal
than that under the administration of
General Jackson, when Calhoun denOunc-
ed the democratic party as bound togeth-
er by the cohesive power of public plum
der. To secure a election. besides
his reported financial contribution, the
president set forth in his annual message
his free-trade political sentiments, which
had they been previously known. would
undoubtedly have defeated his first cleo
ton. As candidate for the third time
he may have the support of the New
York Tammany Society, but with no We
hement adherents elsewhere.