Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-03-04
Slauntoil SDeftaiior.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4th 1891.
The Wise Course for the Democratic party.

The Wise Course for the Democratic party.
The Democrats should not be 80 unwise
as to allow any issue Of minor Importance
to create any division in their ranks. There
are questions which have not been adopted
as party questions, and about which dem
ocrats differ, and should be allowed to differ
without affecting their loyalty to the DEM
ocratic party, and one of these is that OF
the "free and unlimited coinage Of silver
To subordinate the great question OF Tariff
reform to that of the coinage of silver-to
break the solid ranks of the Democratic
party as united on the Tariff question, by
making the silver question the chief issue
would be madness, as it would be exchang-
- ing almost certain victory for almost GER
tain defeat. Upon the question OF tariff
reform, the minds of the people have been
aroused, and they have wisely concluded
that, upon that question, the Democrats
are right and should be sustained, and they
have elected majority to represent their
views in the lower house of congress- The
Democrats cannot effect Tariff-reform till
thsy get also the Senate and the President,
and they should not allow their party to be
divided by any question till that result
shalt be attained, and to accomplish that
end they should, upon other questions,
''agree to disagree" Our viewsare well ex-
pressed by the National Democrat when it
says the democratic party has magnifi-
cent career of power and usefulness before
it if it will adhere faithfully to the task it
has undertaken and assume no new burdens
until the work it is now engaged in shall
have been completed.
The fight for tariff reform has only COM
menced. The Democratic party has been
modified; it has taken the field; it has en-
countered the enemy and routed it. But it
has not yet dislodged the enemy; it has
driven the enemy out of the House OF Rep
resentatives; 1t must drive the enemy out
of the Senate and the Presidency before it
can relieve the country from burdensome
and unjust taxation.
The Democratic party has still to restore
the House of Representatives to it's Con
stitutional position as deliberative body.
It'has still TO defend the rights of the States
against Federal encroachment. 1t remains
Its arduous duty to protect the Treasury
from the burglarious schemes of subsldists.
Now to hold the party together in this
great and good work, and to keep the re-
cruits who are daily swelling our ranks, we
must tolerate some differences ofopinion on
other points. Some of us want free coinage
OF silver and some do not; some want civil
service reform and others do not; some want
HENRY GEORGES single tax and others do
not. While we have practical bmetallism,
and would have efficient public servants
under a Democratic administration, and a
fairly equitable system of taxation under a
reformed tariff, let us not quarrel among
ourselves about the means as to which we
differ of attaining the ends on which we are
all agreed.
Let US remember that the more planks
there are in platform the fewer people can
stand en- H. the more Articles there are in a
creed the fewer people will subscribe to it.
The Republican party recognizes the fact
that it was beaten last Fall on the tariff, the
Force bill and House rules issues. 1t is
making every effort to change the issues.
1t is trying to substitute the currency for
the tariff. On the tariff issue we are certain
to keep New York, New Jersey and Con-
necticut and to add Massachusetts and
Rhode Island, and possibly New Hampshire
in the East, and Minnesota and with almost
equal certainty we may say Wisconsin and
Illinois.
If we allow the tariff issue:to go to the
rear and put the currency question in front,
we are playing into the hands of the
enemy"