The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-17
TITTLE1AT TITMousE TAcT,cs.
The Democrats Should Have Adoptea
Thorn Instead of q Platform. .

The Democrats Should Have Adopte2
Them Instead of Platform.
When the Democrats at Greenfield.
this state, met last week to elect dele
gates to their dis riot convention. some
one proposed the adoption of string Of
resolutions. Judge David S. Gooding
opposed this and advised the gathering
to adopt no resolutions. This was ex-
cellent advice and contains a concealed
vein ofSfne sarcasm, though probably
lQte6 intended. Evidently it is very
6nwise thing for any convention of Dem
ocrats to adopt platform. That party
is much its strongest when it goes before
the country breech foremost, without
any flag in sight. Its policy should be
that of sailors when caught in severe
gales-tske off all sails and scud before
the wind with bare poles.
For the Democratic party to be seen is
to be censured. 1t is only invincible
when invisible. The emba1 rassment it
brought on itself by adopting platform
at Chicago should prove an awful warn
ing. 1t has had to employ more ability
In lodging its own issues and repudiat-
ing its own progeny than would have
sufficed for good deal Of affirmative
action. Like the knight Of old, it has
been smothered in it's own ar1hor.
1t is the regret of the average Demo-
Gratis life that in an evil hour he put
himself on record for free silver, state
banks, free trade and other things when
all those matters might have been left
blank to be filed in as the exigencies re-
'quired. Smart prosecutors, when draw
ing-up an indictment, charge everything
they can think of, but are careful to
leave a lot of room for "newly discov-
cred evidence" The criminal lawyers
who are now called on to defend "tri-
umphant Democracy" would find their
task vastly easier were not their client
on record in writing with self confess
sion Of guilt.
Had wisdom governed at Chicago, the
suicidal policy Of formulating declara-
ton of principles and flashing the reluc-
tant Democracy to them like a ship
wrecked mariner would never have pre-
vailed. What world of conscience
narrowing lying could have been saved
by this, Resolved, That we want them
there Offices of ourn which them Repub-
ikin rascals has got, and we're goin to
git 'emv' Then take the bride off, turn
the animals loose, fire few torpedoes
under their tails and let her flicker.
The victory would have been just as
great, and, "Oh, what difference in the
morning!" There would have been no
use of explanations or apologies after the
fact. No troublesome pledges would have
demanded ful6llment, no policies would
have clamored for enforcement, and prin-
ciples would have been "out of sight as
we'll as out of mind. The spellbinders
would not have had to make themselves
cross eyed looking in two directions at
once and split tongued talking for one
thing here and another there. The news
paper organs need not have turned black
in the face from forced lying nor perjured
their little souls with false pretense.
When they got to Washington, they
could have declared for anything they
wanted to without subjecting themselves
to the charge of inconsistency. 1t would
only have been necessary to watch the
way the cat jumped. Thus the party
would have been enabled to win golden
opinions from all sorts of people and be
all things to all men and everything to
everybody. Like the foxy lawyer in "Ten
Thousand a Year," they could go along
singing their whole creed in four lines:
Tittlebat Titmouse is my name,
England is my nation.
London is my dwelling place,
And Office is my salvation.
-Nonconformist.