Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-05-12
DEnocRAcY.

The speakers at the Democratic con-
vcntion Saturday night made ita point
to that they are Democrats.
The chairman, Mr.. J. w. Dodd. corr
trasted his party with the Republican,
but not to the disadvantage of the lat
ter. Capt. d. w. Shaffer expressed
himself on the subject. but not in the
same terms as his predecessor. Mr..
II. H. Emmert become tragic and en-
ulated one David B. Hill when he ex-
claimed, II III a Democrat The
nominee, Squire Matthaei, is also a
Democrat, but does not think he should
be held responsible for the conduct of
certain individuals at Washington.
This set us la-thinking. and natur-
ally, when there is such diversity of
opinion, one is liable TO become mys-
titled.
We have been studying the old
thing called Democracy all our life
and are free to confess that it is such
a medley of contradictions that we
have never been able to catch on. The
chameleon cannot change his coat half
as readily as a Democrat. A kaleido-
scope comes nearer filling the bill, be-
cause every turn of the crank produces
a new theory. 1t may be one that
was exploded years ago. but, when
found, it is Democracy"
Attention might be called to vagar-
! les of the past, but their name is le-
gion and lack OF space prohibits. One
cardinal principle, if the party ever
possessed such a commodity. was
Estate rights" but now, after nearly
all its locks have been shorn off, a
meeting of Democrats in Martinsburg
declares in favor of electing United
| States Senators BY a direct vote of the
people! 1t is enough to make the
bones of Thomas Jefferson rattle in
their coffin.
But the funniest thing about the
old, musty hulk is Tariff Reform
If Diogenes lived in these degenerate
days, instead of searching with a
lighted candle at noon time for an
honest man, he would need an arc light
to enable him to find any phase of the
Tariff question which it has not, at
some lime in its history, declared to
be jis 1.-THE thing. When it last met
in National convention at Chicago,
Protection was declared unconstitu-
tional. The Wilson bill, which, ac-
cording to the most advanced theory,
embodied all that is great and good
upon that subject, protected rice, pea
nuts, and other Southern commodities
nearly 100 per cent, but almost every
product of Northern farms went on
the free list or had a small revenue
tariff thereon.
The finance committee of the SEN
ate hitched on protection, but,
it continued to be the Wilson BILL"
Their work was revised by the great
trusts and it was still the "Wilson
BILL" Now, tariff bill No. 4, the joint
product of the trusts and foreign free
trade theorists is waited to the breeze
and it, too, is the "Wilson bill" The
Lord only knows what No. 5 will be,
but the faithful will dub it the evil
son bill"
Another feature is the income-tax
provision. That is something new,
stolen bodily from the Populists, but
it is Democratic. They have forgot
ten the anathemas heaped upon the
income-tax law enacted during the
civil war, as a war measure. 1t is all
right now because it is Democratic.
The above is a repetition of facts
many times presented in the columns
of the Herald, but brought forward
again because of the effort made Sat
urday night to fire the Democratic
heart. Why not be honest and admit
that Democracy is a myth and that
the party as it exists to-day has no
principles; that it is simply organized
opposition to Republication. and
that it lives upon the traditions ofthe
pasto 1t has p~ersistently fought
every measure which has proposed to
increase prosperity; it has favored
every scheme suggested by the wild
est theorist which tended to degrade
labor and make a serf of the working
man; it has ruined business paralyzed
commerce, made beggars of millions,
established soup houses, and refused
relief to all classes.
1t would seem TO be the height of
eifrontery for any mar to appear in
public and ask the people to vote for
men, no matter how high they stand
in the community, who are controlled
by such aconglomeration of incongru-
tiles. Yet, it is done. 1t remains
therefore for the people, those who
WELD the destinies of the Nation, the
State. and the municipality, no mat
ter what their former political afilia-
tons, to give the subject earnest
thought and vote as they would act in
a matter of business.
The Democratic nominee for Mayor,
Mr.. c. P. Matthaei, is a pleasant, gen