The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-02-01
10 nEransENrArvE cANDpArE.


We do not pretend even to guess who
the Democratic convention nominee for
president will be. but no possible choice
win represent the Democratic party, no,
even Dryden.s butt. who was everything
by ats, ana nothing long. When Marion
Butler was twitted In the senate the
other day for representing political
fusion OF Populists and Republicans. he
asked somebody to name a single plank
to which the Democratic party as body
would agree to cling. Nobody took up
his challenge at the time. and nobody
has tackled this job stree. 50 far as we
have seen. The Democratic party is
srIit apart so widely and dlverseiy that
no living man can s,raddle II or repre-
sent II.
Just suppose that Richard olney should
be set up. conservative gentleman Of
the patriarch mould, viewing the common
people with the 5istrust of supereiliOus
intelligence. a typical corporation lawyer,
the attorney for the whisky trust untn
he was selected as attorney general to
enforce the law against trusts which he
had declared TO be Unconstitutional How
can such candidate stand for the growl-
ing Western granger or the tobacco-chew-
ing Southern cracker" or the labor
union man OF the North. entirely out Of
touch with him in affiliations and ;n-
stlnctse
or how would Bayard do the repre-
sentative OF the old slave-holding aris-
tocraey. naturally accepting the old
Athenian conception OF a republic made
up Of select citizens and serving helots,
an American born century too late for
comfort. the devotee OF a dictatoriai
ruler Of q violent people" the ambas-
sador who misrepresents Americans in his
congeniai abode among the fastidious
mobiles OF Englandg What representa-
tive he would be OF the great Irish
American Democratic wing. or OF Dcmoc-
racy without capital D,
Or take Hin. the bogey man Of the mug
wump reserve. the champion Of Tammany
and the saloon. the condenser of political
principle into the unprincipled nutshell.
Il am a Democrat" the man who is
ready to sacrifice anything except HILL
the politician who would shamelessly
face to every point OF the political COM
pass in the time Of one revolving moon
how win he suit the self-respecting,
patriotic. Southern Democrats Of true
American descent. or the high-prineipied.
old-fashioned Democrats and the inde
pendent voters OF the North?
Or, grant that the masses OF Southern
and Western Democracy control the con-
vention. as they certainly may, and who
win their candidate beg Take their
really representative men. like Crisp of
Georgia and Bland Of Missouri. VIII
these recognized champions Of the free
silver coinage cause find favor in Wall
street. the regular purveyor Of the sinews
OF Democratic campaigns. or can they
enlist the support OF the gold standard I
Democrats OF the North. protesting so
pretentiously their claim to be -he only 1
reliable defenders of the nations cur
rency and credit? !
Even If the phenomenon Of The Bay 4
state the precocious and politically Sc
duetive William f. Russell, be nomi-
naetd. how win his doctrine of covert
consideration for the Industries that have
made the wealth of Massachusetts, ap-
peal to the rampant free traders of the
Roger Q. Mills stripe, and how viii his
welI-known representation of the views
OF State street attach the votes of the
woolly West and disgusted South? We
observe that one inspired idiot, who has
found somehow vent-hole in a Norta-
ern newspaper. predicts that the nomina-
tion of this Democratic prodigy would
make four New England states doubtful
in the next election. we credit the
young ex-governor with too much keen
political sense to daub his wings in any
such mess Of taffy