The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-08-11

How 60 Deal with the Tariff and Money
Questions.

Questions.
Whatever is not democratic Is dam
gcrouA
Into the principles the democratic
party adopted when COVE: nncnt by
the people was separated from OH
garchy the collected experience OF the
patriot soldiers and statesmen OF all
the nations was poured
Not one has been annulled or mod
lied since the first democratic president
was elected and the democracy was first
organized into political force.
The force once organized and the
principles once laid down. democracy
became too great to be diverted by tho
follics Of few or to be injured by tho
batsering of special interests.
Every democratic voter has share
in the direction of the party; he bears
his portion Of the responsibility foH
what it does or leaves undone. Thus
his personal interest and his pride OF
citizenship are enlisted. lie has re-
gard for the consistent execution of laws
he has helped to enact and for the re-
dcmption OF platform pledges he has
helped 10 make.
Democracy is a body Of highly trained
political units. No profcssedly demo-
cratic leader has been able to deceive
his people. Other parties may obey
leaders and applaud the act which be-
lies the once applauded word. A real
democrat trusts the principles he has
adopted and judges for himself whether
they are followed or deserted. The re-
publican party can promise to reduce
the tariff, and then raise it. Such
shameless violation Of repeated pledges
as that party committed in 1888 could
not be initiated by democratic con.
gress without an atonemcnt which
would consign to obscurity every guilty.
member.
Each individual democrat has In his
memory and heart the historic strug.
gle of his party against protective
tariffs.
Therefore the Mckinley law must be
replaced with tariff based upon the
general welfare principle Of revenue.
For the party is in power and pledges
must be redeemed.
No act of the party which lately con.
trolled the government is more undem-
ocratic than the Sherman law. The
party is unrcservedly under pledge to
repeal it, and to substitute measure
for the coinage Of gold and silver with
out discriminating against either metal
Such are the words of the national plat
form of 1892, passed after the democrats
| in every state convention had made the
demand in language as plain and well
considered.
For the democratic party, in or out OF
power, nothing is safe which is not
democratic. To temporizc with the
Mckinley tariff Or to hesitate in sus-
pending the operation of the Sherman
act would be unsafe for democratic
congress- In principle. in detail and in
effect these two laws are against the
thoroughly ingraincd opinions of the
democratic masses. They were bought
by special interests and their design
did not embrace consideration for the
people. Both have disturbed trade and
offended the natural laws of wealth.
Both have brought losses upon the
producers and consumers. Together
they have contributed to create the un-
certainty which has contracted the
movement OF capital and crushed hun
dreds Of enterprises.
The tariff and money questions which
will come before the Fifty-third con.
gress arc not the accidents Of the sum.
mcr The future of the whole Ameri-
can people enters into their settlement
The democratic grasses know the
pledges Of the party. because they
voted upon pledges. How can demo-
cratic coagressmcn face their people
next year and endure the comparison
of pledge with performance il they are
capable of no better finance than a
blind stand against suspcnding the pur.
chase OF bullion. and of no better taxa
ton than miserable, Intellectual, in
undated rehash Of McKinlcyism?
These arc considerations of import.
The democratic party has u history and
a destiny. Its history Is the story OF
its constitutional doctrines. Its des-
tiny is the restoration of the spirit oil
the constitution. II a democratic con.
gress and democratic president can dc
no better than to put their Bonded
backs under the Sherman and McKin.
ley laws there will be one chapter
which the democrats of the next cen
fury will pass over In silence If they
can.
Whatever is not democratic Is dan
gerous. st Louis Republic.