The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-12-13
DEMOCRATIC pIssENsIoNs.
The Wings of the Party Do Not Flap
 iu Unison.

The Wings of the Party Do Not Flap in Unison.
 The only source of comfort for the democrats in the matter of their recent terrible defeat is the theory that they were beaten by the stay-at-home vote. They point to the fact that their party did not anywhere poll its full strength, and claim that this indicates only that a large number of democrats neglected to vote without intending to promote republican success; but they do not tell us why all these democrats re- mained away from the polls. The campaign was certainly an active one, and the importance of the election was well understood. Every democrat knew that the question involved was that of indorsing or condemning the course of his party since it assumed control of the government. There could not have been stronger induce ment presented for man to vote who believed in that party and wished to sec it prosper; and yet we are asked to accept the idea that tens of thou sands of good democrats deliberately staid at home and allowed the repub- licans to achieve one of the most notable victories in the history of our politics. It will not do to say that they were simply indifferent, or that they did not see the necessity of casting their ballots. The average democrat is best known by his eagerness to vote as often as possible; and when he misses an opportunity of that kind we may be sure that he is influenced by considerations of more than ordinary force and significance.
 In the present instance the explana- tion lies in the fact that the democrat ic party is hopelessly divided against itself It has two wings that cannot be made to flap in harmony; the an tagonism between them is so pro- nounced and acrimonious that either of them is less willing to see the other succeed than to permit the party as a party to be defeated. The main causes of dissension are the tariff and the currency, and the line of di- vision is as much a sectional one as that which used to exist on JhS oldNCi1 lSouCs lO lo "VlA hhN"A that the eastern democrats are quasi protectionists and anti-inf1ationists, while the western and southern dem- ocrats are tariff smashers and free silverites. These differences are of a kind that cannot be compromised, and the more they are discussed the wider the breach becomes Thus the ties that bind men to the party nre loosened, the advantages of discipline are lost and defeat is invited by lack of coherence and unanimity. The recent campaign was one of constant pulling at cross purposes on the part of these two clements. They were not united upon principles or policies, and the result was not only large desertion from the party, but a still larger re" fusal to vote because of the feeling that it was better for the republicans to win than for democratic trifling and duplicity to be encouraged. There is little hope of improvement in this re- spect. The eastern element of the party entertains views that the west ern and southern contingents will not adopt; and it is just as certain that the opinions held by these latter con- - tingents will never be adopted by the eastern element. It is an irreconcila- ble separation. an irrepressible con flict The democrats who stayed at home this year are likely to do the same thing two years hence; or, if they vote, the majority of them will be more apt to support the ticket of some other party than that of the one with which they have heretofore acted.-St. Louis Globe Democrat.