Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-01
cumstances, France should treat royal wis.,
itors with respect, or royalty may come to
B1uNnERING PARTY GUIDES.


The Democratic leaders in Congress are
particularly unfortunate where the busi-
ness interests of the country have been con-
cerned. They are too ready to shout them
selves hoarse over clap-trap theories, and
often shut their eyes to facts. Hardly
question as to finance, manufactures, do
mestic trade or foreign commerce, has come
up in 20 years in which they have not
blundered into the wrong position. Soon
alter the war the leaders, with Pendleton at
their head, made a spectacle of themselves
preaching the doctrine of unlimited green
backs. After the success of specie pay
ments, Democratic platforms were for while
more wisely confined to denunciations of
corruption, extravaganza, and other forms
of wrong doing by the Republican majority.
Something had been learned even by the
Bourbons. On the promise of simply an
honest and economical Government they
succeeded in getting Cleveland into the
Presidency in 1884. But the fatuous in
clination to tinker with business interests
came on again in short order. 2nd against
the advice of its wisest members, such as
Randall and Dana, the party was led to an
attack on the tariff and ignominiously de-
feated. Last fall when tired of dangerous
partisan exhibitions by the Republicans in
the House; of disregard by Mr.. Harrison's
administration of the platform pledges on
civil service and other reforms and offended
at the audacity generally of small men in
high places, the country gave Democratic
victory, the stupid cry was again raised by
Mills, Carlisle, Watterson and a chorus of
cheap shriekers in the party organs that
the tariff was the cause; that prices were
going to an enormous figure; the country
was going to ruin, and so on. Within
the past week some of these leaders, who, in
November, were wailing like Cassandra,
and saw in the Mckinley bill another ver-
liable wooden horse for the national de-
struction, were again publicly discredited in
Congress. Mr.. Mills and his colleagues
had to sit and hear that nearly the whole
price list of the articles affected by the Nc
Kinley bill is to-day lower than before the
bill went into operation. Here a fact de-
molishes a theory. What becomes of the
high-keyed arguments, facile figuring and
frequent hysteria by which the mouthpleces
of free trade demonstrated but few months
ago that the country was going to the "dem-
milton bow-wows" with Mckinley riding on
the pilot?
Equally unfortunate has been tine course
of the Democratic leaders at Washington in
committing themselves to the illusion of
free silver coinage. No wilder idea than
this OF making the United States purchase
the whole silver supply and product of the
world at 90 per cent or more above its
market value was ever set before legisla-
tive assembly. If it had not been for
Cleyeland's vigorous warning the leaders of
the Democracy in Congress would have
swallowed the silver bait, hook and all. The
latest act of the party's leaders has been to
oppose the su bsidy for the development of
American commerce. This position is like
ly to prove 10 wiser than the others dis
cussed above.
On the whole, the attitude in which the
Democratic leaders manage to keep their
party, as respects the business interests of
the country, has been continuously about as
and uninvlting as possible.