The Kosciusko star. (Kosciusko, Miss.) 18??-1898, 1895-11-22
A House Divided Against Itself.
From the Omaha World-HArald.

d pOlltlCdI d pllOdtlOu VI SCilpbu
raj text which has become a part
ofour nations history. In opening
his senatorial campaign against
Stephen A. Douglas he said, ga
house divided against itself can
not stand" and then proceeded to
apply the principle to the political
situation as it presented itself at
that time. He insisted that the
Union could not exist ''half slave
and half Free" and concluded with
the prophecy that the nation would
cease to be divided. The Demo
cratic party occupies the sauue per
ilous position today that the Union
did in 1883; it is a house divided
against itself, and it requires no
prophetic powers to foresee that
this division must cease or that the
party must fall. 1t is for the Dem
ocrats of the country to decide
which result shall follow. There
is an irrepressible conflict rag
ing within the Democratic party
between monometallists and bime-
tallists and the conflict must con
tinue until one side triumphs com
pletely. Compromise is no longer
possible; we must either Join Eng
landin the maintenance of a Single
gold standard, with silver used only
as token money, redeemable in
gold or we must throw the inhu-
ence of the United States upon the
side Of the double standard.
The Northeastern Democrats de-
clare that the restoration of the free
and unlimited coinage of silver on
equal terms with gold at the ratio
Of 10 to I means reputation, nat
ional dishonor and financial disas-
ter. The Western and Southern
Democrats, on the other hand be
lieye that the gold standard means
eXtortion by the creditor class, fl
nancial depression indefinitely ex-
tended, and misery to the masses
of the people, There is no mid
die ground between these two ideas.
If the Democrats of the Northeast
are sincere in their opinion, they
can not be expected to surrender
their convictions in order to please
their party associates. i the Dem
ocrats Of the West and South are
slcere in their opinion they can not
be expected to surrender their con
victions. Not only is surrender
OF convictions improbable, but it is
also impolitic If the Democrats
adopt straddling camdate in 1906,
he will receive less votes than, a
straight-out goldbug or a staight-
out advocate of free silver. The
Northeastern Democrat will dis
trust and desert such q candidate
because he is not committed to the
gold standard: and the Western
and Southern, Democrat will distrust
and desert such a canidate because
he is not pledged to free coinage.
He will lose votes from all sources
without drawing votes from any
source, and the party will not only
be overwhelmingly defeated, but il
will be demoralized for subsequent
campaigns. The Democratic party
need not expect, nor hope, to win
another national campaign until il
becomes all monometallic or al
bimetallic.
The United States wall finally a
dept as its permanent policy tha'
financial system which best pro
tects the rights Of the majority o
the people and best conseryes the
interests of the country, and tina
party only can, or should, perma
nently administer the government
which carries out the policy which
IS best for the people. A majorit,
has right to rule both in the coun
try and in the party. The polio,
OF party should be determined b,
a majority Of that party,i and thu
voters will not be satisfied will
anything less if they appreciate thu
rights and privileges OF citizenship
How can the opinion of the vot
eJs of party be determined? Ii
only one way, namely By primary
election, at which every voter shal
be permitted to record his opinion
Conventions and caucuses may mis-
represent rather than represent tht
voters, because delegates, unless
bound by instructions, may carr,
out their individual opinions rattle
than the opinions of those whom