The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-18
HILLS CHOICE.


The declaration made by Senator Hnl
that II was time for the old parties 10 make
common cause against the deserters from
both. who were making use Of the Popuiist
party to avengs their personal grievances
is very significant 1t is not 30 long ago
that Mr. Hin won great applause by an
neuncing, II am Democrat" and il may
not be very long before he wins still great
err applause by announcing that he - on
the side Of the party Of intel
win not find Il in the Peoples party.
which II. according to Senator Tillman. .
dragnet into which has been corralled the
elements Of communism. anarchism. pa
ternaIssm and every other ism that has no
business in a political party. He cannot
find himself at home in the Democratic
party which has wandered from principle
10 principle In search OF place. until II has
become q political tramp: the old clothes
given to II by Jefferson and Jackson have
become mass Of rags and tatters. and are
no longer recognizable as the garments
once worn by the illustrious dead.
Democrat like HILL who is familiar
with the history OF his country. and goes
deeper down into principles OF government
than do the trainers Of political platforms.
must find himself at times in strange COM
pany. There is hardly doctrine advocated
by Jefferson and not equally shared by all
Americans which has not long ago expired
by limitation, become obsolete by changed
conditions or abandoned by experience.
Leaving out such planks as related to the
contest between the Federal government
and the commonwealth. and those relating
to the maintenance Of slavery, the Demo-
cratic platforms present no features Of any
public consequence which a Democrat
would today consider vital. In almost the
first platform adopted by the forerunner
OF the Democratic party there was a de-
cided declaration against hereditary tenure
of public Office. ana although We have hard
ly come to that yet the Democrats, after
holding to the policy that ITO the victors
belong the spoils" and carefully filling all
the Offices with Democrats. Immediately
started In to make them a life tenure.
They profess TO be In favor of such a naval
force as might be sufficient to protect our
coasts and harbors from depredations, but
always tried to prevent application of that
policy while they were free from respon-
sibility. and when they could no longer
avoid that responsibility they adopted such
a financial policy as made 1t impossible to
afford that protection without going into
debt at time when the Indebtedness of
the country was already so heavy that
prudent statesmen hesitated about adopt
ing the measure From the start Democrats
have been in favor of free commerce with
all nations and little or no diplomatic es-
Establishment, and they have taken special
pains to keep the doors open to the immi-
grafton OF all aliens. without the slightest
restriction. in order TO make this land, as
their platform expressed 1t. 1.-The asylum OF
the oppressed OF every nation
Many of the principles of the Democratic
party have been upheld by the greatest
leaders in American politics. and some Of
them have been defended on the field OF
battle by brave men. but the conditions are
so changed that the tenets Of the old DEM
ocracy are as much out OF place as the
blue laws of our venerated forefathers
would be In the year 1896. The Republican
party has made mistakes. but II has been
ever ready TO rectify them and correct the
evils they led 10. and on the whole its pol
Icy. often pursued under harasslng oppo-
sltion and thwarted by compromises which
checked the fun fruition OF its plans, has
been for the welfare OF the country. Men
Ike Hin. when they are free from the in
fluence OF ambition. cannot fail to recog-
nize this: hence II is no surprise that they
sometimes rise above the interests Of party
and declare In favor OF that which IS to
be for the nations interest. II only as the
lesser Of two evils.