Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-02-20
Who Are Democrats

Tillman's open intention to bolt the
Democratic National ticket, Bryan's
movements, the manipulation of the
Populist organization and the utter
ances of Rozelle in Missouri and
Taubeneck in Washington are a few
of the many Indications of desperate
seheming against the existence of the
Democratic party.
Enough is told to ssure the coall-
ton of the Populists with as many
Democrats as TIllman and Bryan can
lead off, in the formation of a silver
party.
Senate and House have voted on a
free coinage bill this winter. Both
votes showed that there is no tangible
silver strength. in the Republican
party. Yesterdays vote in the House
was even more conclusive than the
Senate test. Consequently, a silver
party will not much affect the Repub-
lican Presidential and State tickets.
If the Taubeneck-T illman plot af-
tSNP ~ RI Il WIN OAAAl u
to defeat Democratic tickets.
How many Democrats will follow
| Tillman in his bolt becomes the chief
subject of solicitude among Democrats
and of curiosity among Republicans.
No intelligence can PROFOUND, no
authority can enforce a law for the
guidance of free voters when personal
impulses and party loyalty begin to
diverge. To what extent honor is in
| yolved in those ties which have as
ISOLATED mel into parties, cannot be
distilled into a rule which will hold
good in all cases.
Yet there are agreements, express
ed and implied, which have to do with
| political honor in the connection of
the man with the party. There are
certain acts which, deliberately per-
formed, bind the man in honor to
support the party. One of them is
going into a regular party convention.
1t is very seldom that a delegate
enters a convention without fore
knowledge that there will be disputes.
He knows that c dispute must be won
by n side or compromised by both.
| When he presents his credentials he
agrees to submit to either defeat or
compromise. He expects that his OPP
ponents will submit as generously if
fortune attends his endeavors and not
theirs.
So positive is this understanding
that il amounts to the whole purpose
aud usefulness of parties. If all men
looked through spectacles of the same
kind there would be no parties. If all
members of a party thought precisely
alike, there would be no conventions.
Nominations and platforms would be
made by spontaneous choruses.
There is a political honor, then,
which a a is supposed to obey as
he gives his political course a party
name; which becomes imperative
when he takes a seat in a regular con-
vention.
If many illmans and organs begin
to appear, the Democracy will ask all
the disloyal to step forth and be count
ed. The party which has maintained
its organization for a hundred years
will deem it essential to know of what
men its organization OF 1896 IS to con-
sist. State tickets and the Presiden-
tial ticket should not be nominated
until all who refuse to abide by any
but their own wishes are checked off
and the grenadiers who are Democrats
to the end are known.
Who will enter a Democratic State
convention and bolt if the nominees
are Is to l men? Who will enter the
Democratic National Convention and
a~asArt-taT a..heaeeh-if.h The platform
omits the Is to / clause?