The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-30
Reed as a Serious Logieian.

The speech with which ex-Speaker
Reed inaugurated the Maine campaign
last Saturday may, perhaps, have dis
appointed those who looked for satire
and sarcasm. In the latter styles of
warfare the present ''man from Mainen
is unequalled. But he is also master
of profound and serious argument, of
connected and dignified logic; of q
method of presenting truths which by
its very clearness and candor impels
men who once believed otherwise to
perceive the errors of their old beliefs
and to turn to better ones. For the
reason that Mr.. Reed, in parliament
ary skirmishes, is such an invincible
and relentless guerilla, we desire to
emphasize the statement that this rep
resents only one side of great mans
greatness. No better proof can be ad-
duced than is to be found in that
speech itself:
In saying that the Democratic party has
shown itsslf incapable Of ruling this coun-
try in manner satisfactory not only to
the majority OF the people, but even to
the large and respectable minority who
help compose 1t, am not indulging in any
language of partsanship. but in the Ian
guage of truth, known and visible to all
who hear me today. To my mind it has
always seemed that such would be the re.
suit OF the control Of the country by the
Democratic party, which is now in posses
sion OF it, although in my widest
party feeling / have never pictured a
scene such as is now visible upon this
continent. You will bear me witness, for
You are my constituents Iand have heard
IN Q often upon this subject that no time
have l undertaken to prophesy future
which is at all like the present. And yet
the present condition of things Is not at
all unnatural. No party acts In obedience
to the wishes OF its most superior men. It's
action is always based upon its average in
| telligence, and at whatever height that IL
to be found there you will be able to pro-
phesy what the party action is likely to be-
The reason why the Democratic party
| has been failure is q reason so simple that
| it is "a wonder that we did not understand
more fully and completely that this result
must take place. 1t was inevitable The
Democratic party has had in the last thirty
years no underlying principle on which it
was united from one end Of the country to
the other. This is not said as a reproach;
it is said simply as historical fact.
That such should be the fact also, is
entirely natural. A party which has
been in the minority for long period
of time gathers together all the peo-
pie who are opposed to the party actually
in power and opposed for different reasons
It is only when they endeavor to combine
and to take positive and affirmative action
themselves that we begin to realize the
tremendous diversity of opinion which was
masked under the seeming unanimity of
opposition. That the incapacity to control
was so great as has been shown during the
past year, no one has ever dreamed. Not
even the bitterest enemy of Democracy
ever prophesied any such thing as has
actually become the history Of the country
That they should fall short of an ex-
hibition Of ability to run the country in a
manner suitable and satisfactory to its