The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1892-02-06
BAD Policy and Bad Politics.

OU OAACy ana kt00 KOntlc9s
From the New York Herald.
Ihe democratic party will be very strong
IN the approaching campaign if it keeps its
head on its shoulders.
The rumor comes from Washington,
however, that the leaders of the party
think it might be well to avoid uttering
strong opinions on any subject and to de-
pend on glittering eneralites-which may
mean whatever the voter sees fit to make
them mean-tor the capture of the ma
jority.
That is not the democratic party which
we have known in other days, not the
party which has furnished this country
with some of the soundest political princi-
pies on which the prosperity of the nation
is based, not the party which has always
stood in the forefront of battle and held
the banner 30 high that everybody could
see it and nobody could mistake its mean
ing.
II the leaders, either in Washington or
elsewhere, conclude to pursue such a
course it will be because they do not carry
their head on their shoulders, but under
their arms. Itwould be bad policy and
worse politics.
There are some very important questions
on which the democrats are at issue with
the republicans. The silver question is a
CONSPICUOUS member of the group; the tariff
question looms head and shoulders above
Its neighbors; the question OF an economical
government is aggressive in its self assertion
and is becoming more so every day.
Democrats have strong convictions on all
these matters, and there is no reason why
they should not sta,c them explicitly and
with such vigorous rhetoric that misunder-
standing will be beyond pcradveuture.
These CONVICTIONS are worth fghung for,
and the people are anticipating full, Tree
and frank discussion OF them.
discussion is confession OF weakness. t.
make platform to mean one thing to one
man and another thing 10 another man
is to make platform which will mean
nothing TO snyb"dy. l. vii simply befud
die the people ami result in the l'ss ol
votes.
A presidential campaign IS pretty i'm.
porfant hing. Il is not simply a battle 81
rival candidates, but battle ofrlval prin
ciples. The balance of power in every
| election is in the hands q men VINO are not
| partisans, who are not mjljssolubiy allied
| % this or that parry, " no 'ook the issue
| which are At stake squ1rely in the face
| and listen atten'lvey 10 Arguments pro ant
con The party winch ran produce the
strongest evidence in lis favor is likely IL
| win; the parry which lodges, which show,
| that it only half believes Whit II is talking
about, which shapes lis phrases with sucI
uuniug that they can be interpreted
TWO ways-that party is very likely to lose
| II proceeds on the be let that the Ameri-
can people don't know how - think ior
| themselves and can b. caugiil like fish in +
net That is not Only uncnmplimentary
but it is also unture Every class in ou
national community i, Slowly m liking VI
| its mind which way To cast lis voe. /
reads newspapers AMI mag ,ziues, discussc,
grave problems On tn street corner and il
The cross roads groceries, and 1t will be wor
to this side or tina, bv nothing short # q
plain, open, free-handed amt 'orcible state
ment of principles.
The democrats have the opportunity of II
lite time, for the republican party has been
in power so long that il has grown weak
and corrupt Democrats and republicans
differ with each other very radically, and il
will be good policy and good politics to EN-.
phasize the differences and ask the Judge
ment of the country thereon. That way
lies victory.
But shuffling and shambIing, using Ian
guage to conceal rather than TO reveal ideas,
passing resolutions which may mean much
or little. making platform which will be
everything to oeverybody-that is not in &C
cordance with the spirit Of the age and will
prove to be serious handicap from lht
start
The democratic party will be all right il
1t says what it thinks and sticks to il; it will
be all wrong if it pursues any other course