The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-10
NOT TRUE TO ITSELF.
Joseph Dana Miller Lashes the
Democratic Party-Causes
of Defeat.

defeat at once complete and overWhelm-
ing. The causes which have led up TO
this result have been manifold. In the
State and city of New York the anger
of the people at machine rule has extend
ed to every nominee of the regular Or
ganization. Good men and bad fell alike
amid the ruins, for the people were In
no mood to discriminate, and individuals
counted for nothing. In the Congress
sionaI field the uneasy and underlined
opinion that the Democratic party was
to blame for the hard times contributed
enormously to the result. The right
eous resentment of the people against
bossism extended to candidates repre-
senting the reform element of the Demo-
cracy, for the voter was not disposed
to ask whether such candidates STOOD
for principle or for the machine. 1t was
an anger as relentless as Nemesis. Grant
and Hill were entombed, and deservedly'
for the former represented notnlng Out
plumber, and the latter nothing but Hill.
But with them fell Coombs of BROOKLYN
Wilson of West Virginia, Tom Johnson
of Ohio, Springer of Illinois and others,
men who had lone battle for principle,
and whose skirts were clear OF corrup-
ton. Everything. good, bad and indiffer-
ent that wore a Democratic badge was
consigned to a common sepulchre. And
it must be admitted that a great deal
of the rubbish SO buried is better out OF
sight. Even the pretty little humming
birds went out with the cyclone. Even
Hudson County-Et ten Brute?
But united with this swift, unreasoning,
passionate fury of the people went other
causes contributing to the result. The
Democratic party has made a record OF
~incapacity for dealing with great ques-
ions during the last two years which
lost to it its strongest and most nfuen-
tial adherents. Delegated with power to
reduc the tariff to a revenue basis, the
party in the House passed the Wilson
bill, which was an utterly inadequate APP
plieation of the principle which had won
such a splendid victory at the polls.
1t refused to listen to Tom Johnson's
plea for free steel rails, though he him
self is a steel rail manufacturer and
stood up manfully battling with the octo-
pus trust which has plundered every
farmer who ever sent a bushel of wheat
over a rail. But the bill which the party
in the House finally passed might have
been accepted, though with little salts
1dCllOLls as d PoOA @AA
Of Democratic pledges by the people who
had put the Democracy in power. But,
10, and behold, even this promise kept
to the ear must be broken to the hope.
The Senate took the bill and left moth
ing of it but free wool. AT the instiga-
ton of Hill, German, Brice, Murphy,
Smith and Mcpherson, for all are more
or less guilty of their party's betrayal,
- 49, - 11oI 70 fhn 6Itioh1n
| list. surrendered to the sugar trust, and
gave us a tariff quite as indefensible as
| the Mckinley bill. Not a voice was
raised for freedom. Hill, indeed, after
he had done all he could to defeat the
measure for which his party stood, en-
| deavored to change his front. But he
had always spoken as a protectionlst,
| had talked of the rates of duty necessary
to protect American labor, with other
and like nonsense, and had otherwise
shown an indisposition or an INABILITY
to discuss the tariff question as 1t
| only can be discussed, intelligently. AT
last, after months of weary waiting,
while business suffered from prolonged
uncertainty and delay, we got a tariff
bill which, beyond the beneficent free
| wool clause and a few minor reductions,
gave the people absolutely no relief what
ever. Was it for this poor little result
that after months and years of education
! al work we had won such a magnificent
victory at the polls? Small wonder that
! men who were Democrats for principle
lost all interest in the Democratic party.
Following on the heels of this came the
sugar trust revelations. the Pullman
| strike, the extraordinary activity of Pres
| ident Cleveland in ordering troops to ILL
nois, and the well grounded suspicion OF
| intelligent workmen all over the country
| that the administration, through Attor-
\ ney General Olney, is far too friendly
to corporations. Cleveland's letter to
| Congressman Wilson favoring the i'm
| position of a tax on uga connected the
| President with the imbecility of that
measure.
To sum up:-The Democratic party has
not been true to itself; had the House
| been more radical on the tariff question
the Senate would not have dared to be
| so conservative. Wilson himself yielded
| too much in a House so strongly Demo-
| cratic: a frmer and more radical stand
would have overawed even the dull, stohd
| Senate. And the party has Numbered
| shamefully in every direction.
Now, as to the future. There Is but
| one course to pursue. Democratic prin-
| ciples must be brought to the front;
timidity and cowardice have met their
| reward, and nave not gained, and can
| not in the future gain, what should be
! the smallest consideration-party success.
| Not even party success awaits the trim
mer. The Smiths and Murphys would be
buried with even greater certainty and
| CELEBRITY than the Wilson's and Tom john
! sons. So we may begin now by having
an end of p~retence, of apology. Is the
| Democratic party for freedom or against
her? Is it for economic truth, or does
If propose to continue this eternal dou-
| Bile shuttle? Is it as good a protectionist
party as the Republican? viii it de-
| nounce the tariff as a steal and continue
to maintain it; will it denounce Carnegie
and court Havermeyer; will it continue
to do all the things that have brought
degradation and ruin to it?
The causes assigned for the defeat of
the Democracy will not do. Senator
Smith says free trade and the income
sxSEE a 60