The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-04-09
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The OflciaI Paper Of San Juan County
THURSDAY, APRIL 9th, 1896.
DEMOCRACY'S IDENTIFICATION.

The Washington Post, the leading in
dependent paper of the national capital,
with about the same leaning toward
Democracy which usually character
ICES independent papers, sharply re-
views the present condition Of The
Democratic party and sums it up as
follows:
1T is torn by discussions and feuds. 1t
is on the verge of dlSintegratlon. The
factional conflicts within its ranks are bit
fer beyond words-apparently more ir
reconcilable than the hatred twenty-five
years ago between the Southern DemOc-
racv and the invading army of carpet
baprerS We have seen the Democracy
in MARYLAND and in Kentucky sacrificing
Democratic states to their fratrlcldal AM
moeitieS. We see them in Kentucky to-
dav sacrificing a Democratic senatOrShp
i'm the same unholv cause. Everywhere
we find embttered factions ready to fly
at each others thrOatS, ready to Surren-
der to the enemy rather than bow to the
majority within themselves; ready TO
wreck. to annihilate the party in the
prosecution of a SenSeleSS rancOr. The
American people find nothing in the pros
pect to which they can pin a hope, how
ever faint. AS things stand now, the
Democratic party is no more fit to make
serious contest against the Republlcan
party, or to impose upon 1t the least re-
straint Of prudence and moderation. than
the followers of COXey or Henry George
or Parkhnrst are. The Republicans
have an open path before them, and at
its ends stands a tyrannical irresponsible
and reckless Oligarchy."
The las. clause Of the last sentence is
doubtless added to indicate the "inde-
pendence' of the paper. As a matter
of fact there is no justification for it.
There can be no 0ligarchy, "tvranni-
cal, irresponsiblen or otherwise in
government "Of the people, for the
people and by the people, like that of
the United State. The people do not
take kindly to Overbearing assumption
and dictatOrial management in public
affairs. If they did the process of
Democratic disintegration would not
have been 50 rapid as it has been dur
ing the past three years. The nearest
approach to an oligarchy which has
secured any foothold in this country is
Democracy's Tammany Hall, of New
York, probably the most VIGOROUSLY
corrupt political organization in the
world. Every Democratic success
achieved in the Empire state or in the
nation since the organization of the
Republican party has been through
its influence. 1t was organized for
spoils and has been maintained by the
spoils wrung by its leaders from the
taxpayers Of New York. President
Cleveland himself has several times
been its beneficiary and Its leaders
have more than once been the power
behind his executive chair. But the
"oligarchy" that they sought to estab-
lish in the control of noti0nal affairs
has been efiectually overthrown and
New York state and the great metrop-
oils are now enjoying period of good
government under Republican rule.
If "the Republicans have an open path
before them" as the Post says, it is be-
calse the great mass of intelligent
Americans have learned through dire
experience that the Democratic party is
absolutely unreliable; that the appli-
cation of its principles has closed thou
sands of American factories and work
shops and infused new life into En-
gish trade; that it has reduced the
wages of American workman in every
branch of industry and brought about
an era of agricultural depression unex-
ampled since the civil war; that it has
discouraged the development of Ameri-
can industries by encouraging unequal
foreign competition, and has created
an enormous deficiency in the national
revenues and a corresponding increase
in the national debt. These are some
OF the reasons why the Democratic
party has forever forfeited the conf
dence of the American people and is
now ION the Verge of disintegration. ~
Almost any kind of an "oligarchyu
would be preferable to long continu-
ance of its misrule.