Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-08
DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES.
Letter From a Disgruntled Pennsyl-
vania Democrat.

Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX. Oct. 4-The following
letter and answer, which explain them
selves, were given to the press by Judge
Reagan:
YORK, PA, Sept. s5. 1891.
Hon. John H. Reagan. Palestine, Tex.
DEAR SIR-Wishing to address private
letter to a number Of leading Democrats,
and therefore trainers OF public opinion,
stead, as have preferred, by pen, which
under the circumstances you will excuse.
1t must, l am sure, strike you that the
Democratic party to-day is little like a
giant going out to battle with one strong
arm free and invincible, the other wholly
unserviceable and In fact needing the con-
slant assistance of the sound limb.
The strong arm represents the Demo-
cratic party on the question OF tariff taxa
ton. On this line we have the ear and
confidence of the whole people Our weak
and worse than unless side is our position
on the currency question. Up to and until
the opening of the late war the Democratic
party had always been the conservative, but
enterprising, safe party upon all questions
affecting the banks or the currency
generally, and as such was the stay of bust
ness and the trust of the merchant. the
farmer, the manufacturer and the work
men. Since the war we seem to have had
at intervals attacks of greater or less dura-
ton of every infantile financial disorder
going No scheme of imitation, no crazy
idea about printing green backs ad
ibiitum, no fantastic dream of two
standards of value of different intrinsic
worth, but has had a greater or smaller fac
ton of the party on its side until our
permanent accession to power has become
the dread of many of the safest, strongest
and most conservative interests of the
country 1t is not that they doubt our
patriotism, nor our love for the people, but
they are
FOREVER IN DREAD
Of some ill-considered, well meant but
dangerous action in connection with the
financial affairs of the people. Who for
instance doubts that the Democratic party
would have been in full sway at Washing
ton and IN most of the states ever since
1876 but for its attitude on the greenback
question: What gave the Republican party
a new lease in 1876 but Democratic opposi-
ton to resumptiona What stands to-day in
our path but the (unfounded) fear that we
will, under the lash of the silver ring, try
to establish double standard of value and
reduce the entire business basis of the
country from the worlds standard OF 100
cents to 20 centSl
The time is at hand when we can get rid
of all this distrust and re-establish our
selves IN the confidence OF the business
public and 60 into the campaign of 1892
with both arms free and the party invinci-
bic. believe the plain and easy path is
pointed out in an article in the Forum for
October, and that the plan for aDemocratic
banking system therein outlined and de-
tailed will, if adopted by the party, put it
back in the seat Of power it held before the
war. We were never so well placed to re-
take position of great advantage as now.
To-day, on financial questions. we are really
less unsound than the Republican party
Our platforms in Maryland and especially
in New York and Pennsylvania, are alto
gether safer than those of the Republicans
in Ohio, Indiana and Kansas. The national
Republican platform is distinctly less con-
sentative than the national Democratic
platform of three years ago. In Ohio the
Republican candidate latter voting for free
silver in congress and making, in February
at Toledo, a violent and bitter attack on
ex-President Cleveland because he stood
firmly for the whole people and in oppo-
sition to the silver ring is making his cam
paign by adopting as his own the sound
DEMOCRATIC VIEWS OF MR. CLEVELAND.
His right bower in the struggle is Senator
Sherman, who not only ut-Heroded Herod
in his greenback letter to ALBION P. Man,
but who voted for the $780, 600, 900 green
back deluge which President Grant vetoed !;
while his left bower, Secretary Foster,
voted twice for free silver. The free silver
- 1Eeozld have died long ago but for the