The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-03-25
DEFEAT Foa THE DEMOCRATS.
Foredoomed to Humiiiation by Dishonest
Practices. --a-asa

view the course OF their party in con-
gress with mingled feeling of disgust
and despair. 1t is not merely wonder
full. but miraculous, how the democracy
Is muddling its chances away, in and
out of congress The people dismissed
republican house with twenty-eight
majority and replaced it with one hav-
ing democratic majority of one hun
dred and forty-eight-the largest ever
known, even in war times, when the
republicans were supposed to have
everything their own way. Had the
republicans come into possession OF
such house in Decem Der last, and a
democratic senate and president had
confronted them, they would, long ere
this. have had the opposition in q state
of frantic accusation or defense. But
the democratic party is not built that
way. II is a coward It can see only
the dangers of aggressive action, none
of the advantages; and instead of ex
ultantly pressing forward with posi-
tive policy, its soul is sick with fear, and
| it halts and skulks- Congress has beer
in session for more than two months
and a half, yet the house has dared
TO do nothing. 1t has not even had the
pluck to hit the tariff between the
eyes, but has gone dodging around en-
| deavoring to stick pin in it's leg. The
silver question has scared it so violent
ly as to provoke the country's con-
temptuous laughter. Two-thirds OF
the democratic congressman are in
favor of free silver, and were elected
by free-silver constituencies, but the
only care of most of them is to post
pone action until after the presidential
election, lest action should 'hurt the
party" And a pretty mess of things
they are making for their party.
Their constituents pushed them on the
stage to fight, and now that the cur
tain has been rung up, these redoubt-
able champions have the heart for
nothing more perilous than parleying
for postponement. Were the repub blic-
ans in their place and with their coin
age craze, there would have been a
free-silver bill-or a free-nickel bill,
for that matter-passed long ago
Which is to say that, with the people
behind them, the republican leaders in
congress always have both the sense
and pluck to do things, and stand pre-
pared to face the consequences
Outside of congress the same craven
ness and stupidity mark the conduct
of the democracy. There are two
men to the fore for it's presidential
favor-Grover Cleveland and David b.
Hill. OF the first, the Argonaut is
forced to say that however amusing his
solemn egotism and fondness for pom
deYous phraseology may be, he is a
man of ability and character. who, be-
sides giving dignity to his party, sup
piled American politics with an issue
over which intelligent men could differ
nationally. Of the other. it can be said
that he knows how to carry New York
that he possesses the secret of in
gratIating himself with the hordes of
ignorant and vicious creatures that in
habit the tenement-houses of New
York city. This chimpanzee vote, most
IL Irish, Mr.. Hill carries in his political
valise, and. oD the strength of that
fact, he asks for the presidential nomi-
SblnNlS lOl LLlC ChlCboiOh VI
ward politics to the national field, and
nothing more. 1t is already apparent
thnt he is master of the situation. and
that if he himself does not get the
prize, he will be able to control its be-
stowaL The intelligence, the charac-
ter, the principle, the enthusiasm. of
the democratic party are all against
Hill and in favor of Cleveland, but the
party gives every sign of being so
timid and base as to permit its one
leader to be sacrificed at the behest of
this disreputable Hill, this master of
the metropolitan slums, this New York
Buckley.
Nothing can now save the democracy
from another presidential defeat. The
people are ready enough to forgive
mistakes honestly made, or rashness
prompted by zeal in a cause believed
in; but the people have only distrust
and contempt for poltroonery. The
democratic leaders who have led the
party into this dismal swamp of indie
cision-who with the opportunity to
make brilliant charge have, like Hal
leck when he superseded Grant before
Corinth, given all their minds to
throwing up intrenchments and keep
ing open the line of retreat-who have
followed, and are still following, the
tactics suited to timorous, beaten
minority rather than of an unprece-
dented majority shrink from honest
advocacy of anything, even of the
single issue which furnishes their party
with a reason for independent exist
ence- They dare not be logical in as
sailing the protective tariff, for. while
they use all the arguments of free
traders, they protest that they abhor
free trade Their first care is to blunt
their swords before striking. A party
whose solitary hope rests on the sins of
its adversary will gain no triumphs,
because it deserves none. THE demo-
cratic party" said that wise old poll
tician, Samuel j. Tilden, ''will win
victories when it has the courage TO be
democratic" That period, evidently.
has not yet arrived. Every democrat
whose intelligence is high enough to
enable him to survey the nation, and
who is sufficiently candid to allow his
Judgment rather than his wishes to
prompt his speech, confesses thus early
that his party has already foredoomed
itself to defeat in November that will
be as merited as humiliating. San
Francisco Argonaut.
THE PROPHETS AT WAR.
Republicans VIII support the Principles
OF the Party.
Tho Yolitioal rronbetS have broken