Middletown transcript., 1895-12-21
PARTISAN LABELS.

We had an am using e experience WITH
an esteemed contemporary not long ago.
The Washington letter which we print
every week is prepared in an office
where "you pay, your money and
take your choice.' The Tran
SCRIPT takes Republican straight every
time, but not long since when editing
the Washington letter for the compos,
itor the first paragraph struck ms as
being rather peculiar doctrine for q
Republican paper and the second para
graph convinced us that something
was wrong. Investigation showed that
the letters had gotten mixed and we set
out to effect an exchange. We found
the true political doctrine hanging on
the copy hook of a certain Democratic
paper and with some pleasant banter
as to its efforts to get on the popular
side and with the people occasionally,
we were informed the letter never
could have gotten into the columns OF
our Democratic cc-temporary because
care is always taken to look at the
label, the initial ID, !" in the upper left
hand corner, and without the proper
label it is rejected.
This is the gun and substance OF
many mans politics. He is Re-
publican or Democrat because his
father is or was. 1t is no credit to
him. Every man should exercise
the elective franchise but he should
think and act for himself. He should
not accept the ipse diTit of any paper
because the s'label" agrees with bis
politics, nor should he reject the sound
advice and argument of paper whose
political ''initial in the upper left-hand
cornern is not Of his own party. Let
us have more liberality and more coed
common sense in politics.
This is not an introduction to any
advice of our own to our Democratic
readers, nor plea that they give US a
hearing, but it was suggested by an
editorial in the Philadelphia Times
which is Democratic if it is anything,
and the experience;related above suggest
ed tia. many of:our Democratic friends
might read this article with greater
care and thought since its label is so
thoroughly Democratic. 1t is upon
the future of Democracy and will re-
pay careful reading by every man
calling himself Democrat.
The Philadelphia Times says:
"The democracy of the country has
reached the cross roads where it must
determine whether it shall be a great
national party, patriotic aims and uni
ty of action, or whether it shall contin-
ue as it now is, loose aggregation of
discordant fragments without any COM
mon bond of unity founded on great
national policy. 1t cannot exist in its
present condition. 1t must advance
or it must recede; and, if it shall fail
to advance to high standard of
statesm anship by claiming common
faith in every section of the country,
it must die and pass into history unre-
gretted.. The democracy of to-day in
the popular branch of Congress, and
even as a national organization, does not
rise to the dignityof a great conservative
political power in the land. Its leaders,
it's representative statesmen, as well
as its followers, are divided on every
vital issue that is before the people or
that demands governmental action.
They do not exert the power that is
ever recognized in an honest, able, con-
servatiye minority. Even if Republi-
canism should break itself by legisla-
tive follies in the present Congress, as
it did in the Fifty-frst Congress; the
democracy of the nation is not at pres
ent in the position to profit by it and
could not rally its forces to win the
confidence of the people in the ma
tional contest of 1896. The destiny of
the Democratic party is in the hands
of its own leaders and people, and the
time has come when its policy must be
foreshad0wed and unity of conviction
and action attained, or it must cease
to be an important factor in national
politics.