The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-06-27
Stiffness Of Democratic Criticisms


For many hundred years there has been
going the rounds of the world a story that
certain Young man once asked the advice of
Socrates about getting married. As has al
ways been we'll known the domestic life of
the philosopher was not wholly happy,
which probably accounts for his answer,
that is said to have been something like
this, young man, if you do not marry you
will always be sorry; and If you do marry
you will always be sorry" Were Socrates
alive today his philosophic mind could not
but be struck with the similarity between
matrimony as he viewed 1t and the methods
OF criticism adopted by the Democratic news
papers at the present time Whether a Re.
publican administration does one thing or
another 1t is bound to meet fall the criticism
the Democrats can muster. Fortunately for
Republicans they do not let Democratic
criticisms trouble them. If they did they
would,be perpetually unhappy. For instance
at the present time the Boston Globe is filling
New England with complaints because the
receipts of the United States treasury have
been brought down nearly to level with the
expenditures. thus preventing the constant
accumulation of surplus. An especial
grievance with the Globe is the fact that the
government is sacrificing five million dollars
every month, which 1t might have had by re-
tanning the tariff on sugar. or course we
recognize that it is necessary for a Demo
cratic paper to have some form of detraction
to hurl at Republican leaders and Republi-
can policy. But is it not going little too
far, even fora Democratic organ, to make
such childish criticisms as this. The ex-
istence of surplus revenues in the treasury
had been the especial cause of condemnation
OF the Republican party for dozen years.
The evils of the surplus" were dinged into
the ears of audiences by Democratic speak
ers in campaign times, and Democratic
papers were full Of condemnation of these
evils" In times when the campaign orator
was not abroad. Nothing could have been
more bitter than the words of the last
national convention of the Democratic party
on this point:
Every rule OF governmental action ia violatad
when, through unnecessary taxation, a vast sum
OF money-tar beyond the needs of an economical
administration-fs drawn from the people, the
channels OF trade, and accumulated as democrat.
lzlng surplus In the national treasury.
This is fair embodiment of the Demo-
cratic position at that time. 1t would be the
position of the party now If the Republicans
were still keeping surplus in the treasury
and the Democrats would be condemning the
Republicans for having surplus as they are
now condemning them for not having one.
Complaint at the cutting off of the $1,000
UOO monthly revenue from sugar tax is
especially silly. More than any other duty
the sugar duty was a direct tax, We could
not produce any apprecable amount of sugar
inithis country. We paid the Cuban his
price Tor sugar with added duty. Here was
direct tax wrung out of the people, which
went into the treasury to swell the surplus
so roundly condemned by the Democi ats
But just the moment when the Republicans
have taken off this duty. made every pound
of sugar come cheaper for every family In
the country, and stopped the accumulation
OF the "evil surplus" that was nightmare
to the Democrats, behold, every Democratic
paper and politician condemning the Repub-
licans for doing the very thing the Democrats
had wanted done! OF course the explana-
ton Of this curious performance is
simple. The Democrats are bound to
condemn everything which they dc
not do themselves. II the Republicans
should be silly enough to take Democratic
criticisms to heart they would perpetually
be in the state Socrates predicted for the
young man.