New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-03
THE WIyD-SOVN CROP,

It Is now twenty-eight years since the I'M
changing and Interchangeable DemOcracy-just
emerged from n Civil War inaugurated by
themselves. In which they had been whipped
out of recognition as the party Of swagger and
buster they had previously been-shipwrecked
in principles and bankrupt in votes, began put
ting out drngnets for cranks, fanatics, lunatics,
idiots, and every sort Of fish that swims the
sea Of politics from the sucker to the shark.
1t will be just twenty-eight years ago to-mor-
row since they pulled themselves together In
Tammany Hall, in this city, for National Con-
vention They had more than a dozen can
didates and no principles. Three Of these can
didates. it Is interesting to remember, had
been Republicans in the previous electiOnAto
wit, Andrew johnson, James r. Doolittle and
Salmon T. Chase-and one General Hancock,
had opposed them in the field during the War.
After beating the air a long time they had made
ND their minds that more votes could probably
be caught by raising an cutlery against the
"bloated bondholders,' and demanding that the
nrincipal and interest Of the bonds issued by
the Government should be paid in greenbacks
than in any other way. They accordingly de-
clared for payment Of the Government debt in
grcenbacks Having set this net for all the
"cheapmo men, they evened up matters by
nominating against his will Horato Seymour,
an honest-money candidate.
SO twenty-eight years ago, In Tammany Hall,
this desperate party began sowing the wind.
With hardly a single intermisslon in the six
succeeding Presidential campaigns they have
undertaken to repeat the game. They favored
payment in greenbacks till resumption came.
They opposed resumption when it came. They
lost no opportunity to favor imitation OF the
currency in order to save the votes Of the In
creasing class of ignorant haf-thnkerS, who
indulge in the deusion that cheap money means
prosperity. To considerable extent they did
save them. But the cheap-money fanatics had
other decisions. They were Anti-Monopolists;
they were Socialists Nihillsts. Anarchists; they
were topsy-turvyists, who wanted the whole
social system subverted and turned upside
down So some of them began to flock by them
selves and organize new parties. Most impor-
tant and successful Of these was the Populst
outfit In that organization the wind sown by
the Democracy in 1868 began to bear fruit
The prairics-hOme Of the hurricane, nest OF the
tornado and breeding ground Of the cyclone
were swept with it. Then burst out Waite of
Colorado, Lleweing of Kansas, Stone OF Mis-
souri,, PennOyer Of Oregon, and Altgeld OF
Illinois; Governors all; while from down In the
Far Southeast came the torrid blasts Of Till
man, Of South Carolina, fired with ungOvernable
fury and swelling with windy words the gen.
eral elemental tempest.
Twenty eight years since they sowed the
wind. And now at Chicago they are reaping
the whirlwind And whirlwnd it bids fair to
be of extraordinary power. When 1t has passed
there will be nothing left Of the unchanged and
unchangng Democracy but a sectional rem
nant of what was once n National party, pro-
testing in its last gasp that National honor Is
q chimera and National honesty an Improbable
weakness. In twentyeight years they have
succeeded in pulling in the country's whole crop
of windy demagogues. And now the dema-
gogues are in possession. The cunning leaders,
who have been playing the game OF double
dealing with them and with honest voters at
the same time, have come to the end OF their
tether They have caught all the fish they set
their nets for-suckers. sharks, weakfish and
mullet-and their boat Is sinking with the
weight Of them. After all, facing both ways
has not paid either for the party or the coun-
try The whirlwind crop Of 1896 has come from
the wind-sowing of 1868 The Democratic party
gives way to the Populists, who have outgrown
and Overshadowed it. 1t is perhaps as we'll
The highwayman is not, after all, so dangerous
as the confidence man and buncO-steerer.