New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-29
THE DEMOCRATIC BREAK.

In the death grapple Of hostile Democratic
factions. so clearly described by Southwestern
Democrats in yesterdays dispatches. the feat
ure which will most forcibly impress every
observer is the utter absence Of thought regard
ing the public welfare The opposing factions
are desperately earnest because each is fighting
for existence In its own locality. The Eastern
Democrat knows that he Is frghtfully weakened
in every manufacturing State by the record Of
his party on the tariff question, and. starting
with that load to carry, has not chance in any
Eastern State unless he can have ar unqualified
declaration for maintenance Of the gold stand
ard with a candidate TO match. But the West
ern or Southern Democrat. weakened in like
manner If less in degree. by free trade in wool
and removal or reduction of duties on other
farm and mine products, has to face an over
towering demand for silver coinage and wild
cat State banks. If he cannot 20 before his
people at home with a soft-money candidate and
platform, he knows that great part OF the
Democratic voters will go over to the Popus;s.
leaving the Democratic party not merely beat
en-, but permanently crippled by loss Of the ma
chinery by which elections have been carried
for twenty years in defiance Of the peoples VIII.
That is not the precise language in which
but 1t is what their language means. Thus
Texas Democrat declares that if the secession
to the Populists is not stopped by freesilver
convention, 1.-THE Democratic party will lose Its
power, prestige and machinery In the South.
land the Republican party will come TO life
What has kept the Republican party in state
of suspended animation? Nothing but the ma
chinery" by which the Democrats have been
that It made no sort of difference whether many
Republican votes were cast or none At all Let
men notice the reports Of committees regarding
Alabama elections, II the statement seems too
strong The loss Of this machinery, the trans
fer of power to appoint officers Of elections in
all the precincts, and loss Of control Of State
offices In which the returns are received and
counted up, mean the restoration Of the Repub
lican party to life. and the final overthrow OK
Democracy in States which 1t has ruled so long
by robbing the people Of the right Of suffrage
If this dread calamity, than which none could
be greater TO q Southern Democratic politician,
is to overtake the party in his State, he cares
not a rap whether it gains In New-YOrk or not
Its losses at the South would make Presidential
success impossible, but even for that he cares
little, for the control of Federal offices In his
Of State and local offices, and all the machinery
by which elections have been carried. He
knows right well that he will be buried out Of
sight forever If the people get a chance to vote
and have their votes counted. 1t never occurs
to him to ask whether this course or that would
be good for the country. The drowning man
who clutches at a straw takes no time to rea-
son about ultimate results 1t Is sheer despera-
ton for these Southern Democrats, and political
extinction is for them inevitable unless they
can carry the National Convention.
But the other faction Is just as desperate. and
has the same supremacy selfish motive. No
doubt there are both sides men Of sincere
convictions. But they entirely submerged
by the overwhelming anxiety for party success
In their respective States so that In multitude
of cases men who privately admit their convic-
ton that free coinage would bring disaster are
nevertheless forced to fight on the other side
in order to prevent their own political extnc-
ton SO in this State there are others who
| have gone as far as Bland himself In their per-
sonal beliefs on the silver question, and yet are
| battling for a gold standard platform, because
| nothing else can give a chance of carrying
New-York" Thus 1t is seen that the rupture in
the party goes far deeper than any difference
| Of belief among leaders or workers. 1t is on
| both sides fight for lfe-at the South because
free-slver and soft-money heresies have for
thirty years been taught with SO much success
that Democratic voters are frantic over them,
| and at the North because the influence Of COM
mercal and banking classes has made 1t impos-
sble to create such pernicous public sentl-
ment How the two factions are to get to-
gether on any platform whatever, 1t is not easy
| to see.