St. Paul daily globe., 1894-04-21
PRoGREssIvE DEMooRAcY.

The Cleveland Plaia Dealer is fair
type or certain element in the Demo.
cratic party which is palsied, toothless
the sound of its own voice. and shrinks
affrighted from its own shadow. 1t is an
element which every party has more OF
less of, and which is everywhere drag,
having to be yanked and dragged along
or carried in the ambuiances in the rear
of the advancing column. We have
some of them here in Minnesota, but
only few of them, thank the Lord. and
their whining and driveling excite only
cOmmiSeratiOn.
The Plain Dealer deprecates any ad-
vancfng step of the party. 1t should
remain in and maintain the stain QUO.
This because the Democratic party is
the party of conservatism. We have
heard something of this before. We
used to hear it when our party was
being assailed by the young Republican
party generation ago. We were then
told that the party was opposed to
changes; that it was all administrative
party, satisfied with things as they
were and content to administer them as
the fathers had lett them. We haven t
heard much of this of late years until
now, when special interests see their
privileges assaulted by party pledged
to deprive them of them altogether.
Now we see them finding strange allies
among the members and papers of our
party, who urge that the hand of justice
be stayed because, forsooth, ours is a
conservative party.
Where did this notion rise? What
foundation is there for it? Was Jeffer-
son a conservative when ne wrote that
declaration of independence and started
afreSh the aspirations of men every
where for more liberty? Was it his
conservatism that made him disestab-
lish the church and abolish the law of
primogeniture? Was he conservative
when, on his return from France, he in
sisted on the Incorporation into the con-
stltution of that series of amendments
securing personal liberty to the citizen?
Was there ever anything more radical.
more progressive, than these policies of
the founder of our party?
Was it a conservative party when,
under Jackson, it began the struggle
for the severance OF the nation from the
Bank of the United States. whose power
in politics had long been felt? The
only instance we recall when the party
was conservative was during the anti
slavery agitation, when it was domi-
mated by the slave owners as the Re-
publican party today is controlled by
the special Interests it has created: and
Is there any Democrat today who would
have the party repeat that instance of
its conservatism Its heroic conser-
vatism then earned it thirty years of
more or less complete retirement. Is it
ready for another Rip Van Wrinkle nap?
1t is as impossible for two conserva-
tive parties to exist al the same time in
the same country as it is for oil and
water to occupy the same space at the
same time. There must be party to
represent the progressive element of
humanity, as there must be one to rep
resent the invertebrates, the billiards,
and the class who are always satisfied
with conditions as they are. Today the
Republican party fills this place. 1t lost
all capacity for progress as soon as its
initiative purpose was accomplished in
the abolition of slavery. As an admin
istrative party it mas been such bungler
that it would have been swept off the
face of the political board long ago, had
it not been for the legacy of hatred and
dIstrust bequeathed to us by that period
when our party essayed the role con-
servative. That continued so long that
the Republican party became fossilized,
another term for conservative, and its
plea to the voters for ten years has been
to let things alone.
The Democratic party shook off the
lethargy Of its old conservatism under
the inspiration of Cleveland's bugle
call to duty. 1t took up the march of
progress, winning victories as it went,
and is only checked now for thu mo-
ment because there is division in the
council at headquarters, and few of
the corps commanders are treacher-
ously trying to compel a retreat. This
is no time to prattle about conservatism.
1t is time to go forward instead of to
halt. Do a few puny drivelers think
they can stop the movement behind
which five and half million voters put
their shoulders in '92? Bah! 60 to the
rear, you skulkers, and let the men
have chance to fight.