St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-08
,,EsssEuRs LES oppoRTuNIsTEs.


alert and facile gentry wear tneir
convictions as a cockade to be oon-
ned during the professions OF cam
paigns and carefully laid away out
of the dust between them. Tney are
not even true to their colorS, out
take those that are the fashion with
the crowd. They are constantly on
the outlook for an opportunity.
Whether utilizing the chance in
wolves adherence to or abandon
ment of principles is immaterlal to
them; if it promises to win them the
game it is all they ask.
Just now these fellows are prick
ing I'D their ears all the more eager
" for the very complete dashing of
their hopes and chances by the
votes last year, and spurred on by
the very deSDera ton of the Sltua-
ton. Like sailors becalmed, they
strain their eyes watching the hori-
Zon for the fainteSt indication OF
coming breeze. 1t matters not what
quarter it sets, they are willing to
change their ships course to suit
it only so it promises to watt them
into the snug harbor of Office. They
are the fellows who have run the old
ship Democracy for years, some
times on, but oftener off her course.
and it was they who finally landed
her on the rocks in '94.
SO we see them cavorting with
protection, undisguised by its silver
plating, trying to seize the helm,
and bring the old ship about and
head her for free coinage. These
are the fellows who down in Hi
nois and elsewhere think they can
see a party victory in a silver cargo
and are willing to take in the load
for the sake of merely winning
That the ship wasn't built for such
light ballasting, that she will be
top-heavy under it, with almost
a certainty Of capsizing, is nothing
to these jack-tars. 1t is enough for
them to know that they are out in
the cold and very hungry, and that
silver coinage is the present craze,
Speeding like a contagion and
promising victory to those who
espouse it.
If these bushwhackers of politics
care nothing for principle, are in
different to the honor of their party.
they should at least have sense
enough to take in the lessons of
the experience of their party and to
apply them in the present case.
They ought to make note of the
TACT that the party never went
wandering off it's course because it
seemed expedient to do so, that
1t did not come back weaker than
when it went. 1t dallied with the
money craze once before and merg-
ed with the paper fiatists Just g
now they propose to ally themselves
with silver fiatists. Every foot of
ground the party had gained since
the war was cut from under it's feet
by that alliance with these none
tary bedlamites.
Another thing these fellows should
take into their innermost conscious
ness and make it their guide. and
that is that honesty in politics is
the best policy, and that this. too
has been illustrated by their own
party. The election of Mr.. CIeye-
iand In 1884 was due to his own
strong personality and to the dis
gust OF voters with the decadence of
the Republicans that made possible
their choice of a presidential candi.
oate. 1t was not because of anv
conversion to the principles of our
party, because it had not been loval
10 tnem. But Mr.. Cleveland. in
1851, gave the party a direction q,
the lines of it's basal PRINCIPLES. and
the rank and file, always loyaI tn
principle, always responding to an
peals to their Democracy. encasad
themselves in their new armor and
went stoutly, joyously, confidently
iorth to battle. The defeat of 1895
Drought with it no such feeiina, of
dlsheartenment as did that of 1904
Ihey rose from that conflict &C
lreSh, as courageous, as full of foh+
as IL they had won, not lost tho 49,
tie TIC pa l.
In 1892 they pulled I'D tbe old
STAKES indicating their course and
destination and planted them far i,
advance. They were warned that -
meant sure defeat. When tho eroat
convention adopted the Neal an3end
Hieht with Wild hurrah, Mr.. Whit
hey sententiously remarked: "T,ba+
beats us" With adnira b1a co,,ro ~
ana unf1inching zeal the rank ard
HE OF the party caught I'D the now
slogan, and went to the. people assaiI-
liis projection as a modernized slav-
cry and meeting with assent. where
years before they had dodced tho
accusation that they were free trad
ers. Ihey avowed that to be their
ultimate purpose, and defended their
course. For the first time in wears
the opportunists were packed off TO
the rear with the suffers and camn
followers, and the impetuous radi.
calls took the lead.
For the first time in years the min
ciples of the party were honestly
avowed, defended, sustained. For
the first time in decades it had a
policy to advocate instead of merely
an opposition to denounca. The re-
suit was inevitable. It always is.
Honesty was theSbest policy. The
magnificent victory of '92 proved if
1t was the completest demopstra-
ton possible Of the good policy-if
| no higher motive control--of stand
ing up loyalty and stoutly for prin-
ciple. If further demonstration were
needed these Opportunists might
find it in the results Of that victory.
They may well and profitably ponder
on. the results Of the concessions 10
their sort in congress which turned
the promising fruit of the long strug-
gle into Dead sea apples; the weak
yielding to the insolent demands of
traitors. instead Of the sturdy, if I'M
awaiting. insistence on keeping true
piighted faith. And then they NAV
we'll question if it is now. even.