Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-08-01
THE POWER or LEADERSHIP.

committing the Free silver HeresJ-ihe
5 sasaciaus and Vigorous Leadership OF
President Cleveland.
Harpers Weekly.
+ OF late years it has frequently been |
observed that there is this remarkable
difference between the Republican and |
the Democratic parties: the rank and |
file of the Republican party, particu-
larly IN the Northern States, is said to |
embody a majority of the more intelli-
gent, wellto.do, and "virtuous" ele-
ments of the population; but its leader.
ship is pusillanimous, selfish, and tricky. |
The Democratic party, on the other
hand, may, indeed, have among its rank
and file larger proportion of the less
desirable elements of society, but its
controlling leadership is far more honest,
public.splnted and courageous, and,
therefore, more efficient. This observa-
ton applies with especial force to the
Republican party since what We may IN
general term call "Blalneism." became
the ruling spirit in the organization, and
70 the Democratic party since Mr.. Cleve.
lend rose in II to position of predomi-
mating influence. And never has this
constitutional difference between the two
parties been more striSingly evident and
more instructive than at the present
time, while the silver question is the
problem of the day.
Not many weeks ago we saw the
silver craze sweeping over the South
and West like an irresistible hurricane,
apparently carrying everything with it.
The Democratic party in those regions
seemed to be hopelessly given over to
the tender mercies of the free-coinage
men, and the more sanguine among the |
fanatics hoped even to get control OF
the organization in the North and East |
too. The friends Of sound money, even
many of those who so far had stoutly |
stood by the Democratic party, began to
make up their minds that to preserve |
the country from the free coinage dis |
aster they would have to depend upon
the conservative spirit prevailing ip the |
Republican ranks, and that at the next |
Presidential election, in the absence Of |
specific spnnd-money ticket, they
would have to vote fer the Republican
candidates. Indeed, no party. ever had a
more assured prospect OF success than
the Republican, and never within our
memory did the result of a coming
Presidential election seem to be more
completely .foregone conclusion 20
months before election time. To speak
OF the possibility of Democratic
victory sounded like ridiculous bluster,
AID it may be said witout exaggeration
that no cool-headed Democrat seriously
thought of such thing.
To-day this is very much changed.
Not only has public opinion ceased to
regard the Democratic party as hope
lessly in the clutch OF the free silver
fanatics, but the question whether the
sound money cause may not after all be
safer in the hands of Democratic than
Of Republican administration is now
soberly discussed by many sensible men.
And this surprising change has been
brought about by nothing else than the
imbecile and cowardly conduct of the
Republican leaders on one side, and the
| sagacious, intrepid and vigorous leader.
| ship of Mr.. Cleveland on the other.
Courage inspires not only respect, but
also confidence. Cowardice begets not
only contempt, but also distrust And
when the people see such men as Nc.
kinley, Harrison, Reed-in fact, every
Presidential possibility in the Republi-
can par.y-carefull dodge every
| public occasion on which an ex-
preston OF their views on the silver
question may be demanded, or, when
ever those great personages do venture
upon an utterance, express themselves
n vague and ambiguous phrase--when
the people see this they instinctively
remember that the same kind of faint.
hearted and tricky Republican leader.
ship brought upon the country the
Allison law and the Sherman lawn
TACT, all Of those measures intended to
hold the silver mining States in the Re-
| publican which resulted in so
much disaster. They also conclude
that the same Republican partisan
seltishness which, in spite of the good
character Of the Republican rank and
lille, has thus SO often betrayed tho
sound money cause will, to Judge from
the present conduct of Republican
leaders, by no means be unlikely to do
80 again.
On the other hand, people remember
that although the silver heresy may have
been much stronger among the Demo-
Gratis than among the Republicans, the
former 10 1892 nominated and elected to
the Presidency the most outspoken, de-
termined, and aggressive champion of
sound money among the public men of
the lime-Mr Cleveland; that the only
legislative act decidedly checking the
silver tide, the repeal of the purchasing
clause oil the Sherman law, was pushed
through Democratic Congress by Mr.
| CleYeland's bold and uncompromisinr
leadership; and that the same leader.
ship, with defiant firmness holding IN
the sound-money standard, aud with a
ringing battle cry rallying the faith
full around it, has recently in
spired sound-money Democrats in
the very strongholds of the sill.
yer craze with new fighting courage,
resolutcly thrown the administration
into the struggle, and actually succeeded
In beating the silver men in what NAV
well he called a pitched battle in the
enemy scountry. Without in the slight.
est degree oyerestimating the result of
the Democratic State convention in
Kentucky, we may confidently say that
1t has very much discouraged the free
coinage men by utterly flashing their
hope of getting possession of the Demo-
cratic national convention, that it will
make further sound-money successes in
democratic conventions much easier,
ana that 1t thus bids fair greatly to
lessen the public distrust under which
the Democratic party has been laboring,
ana 10 open to u an unexpected chance
OF success IN the coming national cleo.
ton.
Will not the Republican leaders un.
derstand the lesson taught by this re.
markabie experience? They deceive
themselves when they talk of eliminat.
ing the money question from the issues
OF the coming campaign by rushing the
tarlH question again TO the front. They
should remember that as the business
situation improves, those who stir IN
the tariff question will suffer as dis.
turbers of returning prosperitv II i