Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-03-11
Tho Democratic i,ilsm,n,.

Tho Democratic lItlsmm,.
He must have a poor nose fol- political
news who does not discover a great
change in the expectations and feelings
OF both parties during the last few
months. Last October Democrats were
confident and boastful. There wal not
much pretense about it; they counted
with absolute certainty upon victory in
Massachusetts and Ohio, as in New
YORK and several Western states, and
we're confident about Pennsylvania. 1t
is the truth that the Republicans were
at that time muce disheartened. They
hoped that Mckinley would pull
through, but hardly dared to trust their
own hope. To them the Alliance was q
thing unknown and greatly feared in
even some apprehension about Penn
s~ylvania. In short, the great defeat of
1880 still controlled the feelings and ex.
pectations of both parties. But to-day
Republicans are hopeful, and even
jnbilant. while all intelligent Democrats
realize that the coming struggle is to be
desperate and doubtful, and each Of
their two warning factions solemnly de-
clares and fully believes that certain de.
feat will attend the policy Of the other.
Democratic journals do not like to
admit that their party is in an ugly d.
lemma. They prefer to regard the war
OF factions a. merely Z personal strife
for the Leadership and the spells. But
there 10 something deeper. If it were
only q question what policy the Demo-
cratic party wOull pretend to adopt,
and then vote and work for, caring at
bottom only for the spoils, one might
expect the strife to end as usual. in the
adoption Of u few tricky phrases, and in
. united and desperate effort ut the
polls for any candidate. But this time
q victory will have to mean something
or none will be won. Against an eva
sive and lodging Democracy the Repub-
licans are sure to win.
The reason is that two important
classes OF voters have q fixed purpose
that the next election shall mean some
thing for their ideas and or
nothing for Democracy. The men who
want more money aud the scaling of
debts have with them the silver-mining
interest, tine vague but yet potent no.
ton that ''the gold bugs Of Wall Street"
have been fleeing the country, and
the Alliance outbreak at the South.
About many things they disagree, or
are willing to wait.
But at the other end there ID a body
of voters who mean q change of tariff,
have gone with the Democratic party
for years, though despising it, for that
reason only, and who are equally re-
solved that the next four years shall
NEAR q triumph for them or nothing for
the Democratic party. Its incompe.
tence they have found hard to endure;
its bad faith and trickery toward those
who trust il have made them angry
often; its Infamous election frauds seem
to them utterly in~tolerable, unlesa they
are to bring q victory for tariff re-
FORM" To these men the nomination
of anybody except Mr.. Cleveland will
mean q betrayal and an insult, and fail
ure TO put the tariff issue foremost will
send them out Of the Democratic camp.
and straddle and juggle az usual, If it
could. But this time it cannot. The
great body Of jealous free traders or
"tariH reformers" in Northern states.
and especially the Germans, are in
teEsely hostile to free coinage. The
practical business men among them
know that 1t would bring ruin. The
blind w%Orshipers of British economic
theories detest the silver fanaticisn rs
much - they do protection. So it has
come to this: Tho Democratic party
must face dcfeatin Sew York, Csnnecti-
cut, Massachusetts,, Ohio, and every
Eastern state except perhaps New Jer-
sey, il it commits itself to iree coinage,
OF fails to put the tariff foremost. But
it must face defeat through the West,
and in some Southern states, unless ii
puts the money question foremost,
shelves Mr.. Cleveland, and makes q
genuine fight for free silver coinage.
That ia the real nature of the dilemma,
and it is not strange that Democrats r
discouraged.--NtW York Tribune.
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An Not In Harmony with His