Birmingham age-herald., 1894-10-14
WIN TON
PARTY SPIRIT.

St. Louis Republic.
 This years campaign brings the voters back to a choice between the two conflict ing and enduring ideas of free government and class government.
 Third, fourth and fifth parties have de- cllned into insignifcance. The mugwump can scarcely be heard. The populist is im- portant only in the Rocky mountain states, where he promises to vote market for bull lion at the old price. The prohibitionist, who few years ago foresaw the growth of a great national anti saloon party, now ex- poets nothing more than to hold his weak ened organization together.
 Mugwnmp, populist aud prohibitionist have had time to prove that they are not capable of conducting to tangible results such beneficial reforms as they may SUD- port, even when they are entrusted with power for that purpose. Like amateur musicians, they can set up ideal standards for others and can rail at faults, but fall further below their standards and prove themselves less capable of sustained and concerted action when brought to tue test of public performance than the poorest of those they have attacked.
 The populist has been a conspicuous failure. He started out to revolutionize not only the whole scheme of government, but the whole constitu tion of society. He obtained some power, and could not even learn to administer decently the laws he found. With no exception, populism has
 
 office. It has been damaging experiment. wherever tried, It has all the vices and weaknesses of former political parties and little of the capacity for public business which to some extent the worst of the strong parties in the history of the United States have exhibited.
 The line is drawn distinctly between the, party which believes in the people and the party which distrusts the people. 'g
 In 1889 an administration handed to it's successor government embarrassed with one dificulty-too much. surplus money in the treasury. In 1898 an administration, handed to it's successor government em- barrassed with deficiency so great and de- mand liabilities so heavy that distrust of it's currency. had produced panic which af-. fected all business. In two years after liar. rison went to Washington the country knew that the national treasury was empty, though the necessary expenses of the government had not increased. In eighteen months after Cleveland took the oath of office trade had begun to revive direction, if not quite far enough, bullion purchases were stopped, federal expenses were cut down, department barnacles were scraped off and fears of forcible interfer- ence with home rule in elections were set at rest.
 There is nothing in populism, prohibit tion or mugwumpism for. sensible men to waste time over. All of them have proved that if they had power without opposition their members could not conduct govern ment. The choice is between the party that saves money and the party that cor rupts the suffrage with the bribe of appro- priations and grants of monopoly; between the party which multiplies offices to swell power and the party which abolishes un- necessary offices to diminish taxation; be- tw cen the party which encourages disorder by inviting classes to grab from the gen. eral fund and the party which suppresses disorder when laws made for the protection of equal rights are violated.
 And as the line is between the two old forces which have contended since our government was founded, it will be ben- eft if the fight can be made fierce and az. gressive on both sides. The fercer the fight, the stronger the men who will be de- veloped into leaders. We need bold crit. icism, aroused feeling and unsmirched loy- atty to party as the exponent of principle. Every flaw in the proceedings of the re cent session was due to slackness of party spirit. There was too much visiting be- tween the lines. There was too much mixing. It got so bad that Qn the tariff, campaign, you could hardly tell some dem- ocratic senators from the cir republican cronies. e5-' ao og
 Brioe and Murphy could not live in a genuine, old fashioned political fight. Mo- Kinley and Harrison could not lead cor
 
 trodden down and lost.
 Nothing stops abuses, accentuates prip- oiples, drives out the thieves and breeds ssatesmen like political fight that Is for political blood ip every encounter.
 Parties are not made to agree and fondle each other. When they do, look out for plundering on tho siy.> Unless they are kept fighting, men in public life find 1t very tempting and very ~eohvenient to quietly agree on robbing the distant public.
 Democratic principles are worth fighting for. Republican princ ciples deserve to be fought out of existence. The people must eternaIly fight for their liberttSs Of com. pines of power will steal evefy liberty in the constitution. Tue demoeratio party has grown, and with it have grown dem& cratic principles, when party spirit rxjt high. Nothing can beat t&e dem6cystic party when its spirIt is- atonSed. And ths republican party behaves itself better whsh it has to confront the battle spirit of the democracy. Dallyihg with the fsderalist element is q sure surrender of something from the peoples rights. x, What tha Cnuntrv uaadu ia pavJva1 SSf