Huntsville gazette., 1893-12-16
DEMOCRATIC FAILURE.
The Negative Policy Pursued by the Party
In Power.

The Negative Policy Pursued by the Party
In Power.
There is perfectly philosophic ex-
PLANTATION of the extraordinary muddle
in which, in less than twelve months,
the democratic party has involved the
revenues, the treasury and the entire
financial system of the country.
People who are amazed that this
should have happened should remem-
Der what the democratic party is, and
under what sort of conditions Mr..
Cleveland and his party assumed the
control and direction of the general
government in all its branches.
For thirtytwo years the democratic
party had been in continuous oppo-
sition. 1t elected Mr.. Cleveland, to be
sure, in 1884, but only by scratch,
and full control of the government did
not go to the party at that time. 1t
had chosen president by the help OF
large malcontent republican vote, but
it had failed to carry the country in
any real sense Of the phrase, and it had
not secured working majority in con-
gress.
When the full victory of 1892 came
upon it the democratic party, after
thirty-two years of uninterrupted op-
position, found itself in the novel po-
sition of being intrusted with all the
burdens and responsibilities of actual
administration.
All its statesmen had spent their lives
up to that time in opposing, objecting,
DENYING, denouncing and obstructing.
Not one of them had ever felt the
necessity of affirming any practical
measure of administration. They were
on the negative side always.
Their habitual attitude was that of
the newly arrived emigrant in the
story, who, getting into Castle Garden
in election week, was urged by a Tam
many worker to register and vote.
"Ye are a dimmicrat, of course?"
said the Tammany worker to the gen.
tlcman just landed.
II dunno at all. at ALL" said the lat
ter in reply, but have yez givern-
mint? If yez have, I'm agin it
The democratic party had been in
precisely that attitude for over three
mint'-when it was suddenly called to
run the government itself from last
March.
1t was called upon to cease denying
everything and begin affirming some
thing; to propose policies instead of
opposing them; to construct legislation
instead of obstructing it; to do the real
work of government instead of criti-
cising and hindering it; to keep the
treasury full instead of denouncing all
the taxation by which it is fed; to
frame tariff itself that will not in
jure invested capital or employed labor
instead of wildly declaiming against
tariff bills drawn by others.
Thirty-two years devoted wholly to
opposition have trained a school of
democratic leaders who cannot lead
anything but attacks upon other peo.
pies affirmative and constructive poll
cies.
Democracy is nothing but a national
negation. 1t has been saying mo" to
everything for thirty-two years. 1t
cannot say anything else In the dis
NAL lexicon of its leadership there is no
such word as Yes"
That is why the ways and means
committee is the storm center of demo-
cratic objections and protests from
every corner of the union. North, south,
east and west the democratic party,
on the tariff as on the money question,
is kicking against itself. For whole
generation it did nothing but kick
against the republican party. The
habit is so fixed upon it that now it is
nominally in power, its kicking impulse
is too strong for it, and it goes on kick
ing against itself.
1t will continue thus to play football
with the national finances and revenue
system, and kick INCREASINGLY until the
country kicks it out of power and puts
it once more into the only place it is
fitted to fill opposition. Y. Re-
cOTder