The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-15
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The Palmer and Buckner faction of the
Democratic party -stronr in cash. re-
spectability, and organs but feeble In
the matter of vctes- has hean thrown
into white heat by thesaction of Con
gress on the tariff. 1t Ii trueS that this
action is just what everybody expected,
just what every boiling Democrat who
voted for Palmer or for MCKINLEY knew
would happen II the Republican party OBJ
tanned power to pass tariff bill. but all
that is forgotten and ignored by the So
called National Democrats. Their organs
are raving like mad bulls of Bashan and
wildly accusing the Republicans of hat.
ing betrayed them. S
The New York Times, although far
more decent and di0nif1ed in it's wrath
than the Evening Post, Is sufficiently
yenomous. 1t declares that the wisdom
and foresight Of the National Democrats
in declaring the old faith and raising the
old standard at Indianapolis are demon.
strated by every day and every hour of
the Republican legislation and admins
tration at Washington. "Democrats,"
1t says, could unite with tho Republi-
cans to beat back population and dis.
honor" hut, .'they committeeman in that
alliance to further the Republican policy.
The Times then proceeds to free ITS mind
in this way: .E
Mckinley newspapers and the Repub-
lican upholders of the job-ridden tariff
should cease their appeals to SCUM money
Democrats to remain with their party.
They insulted the men who elected
their President and put into their hands
the power the prostitute to dirty gluttony.
They have become so shamelessly indie.
cent that no respectable Democrat can
abide with them. 1t is easy to quit them.
Organism is not the alternative. The pa
ternal mansion of Democracy has been
kept open. 1t Is furnished and occupied.
The door is open in welcome.
''There are millions, of Democrats in
the country who have no faith in the
candidate of the Chicago convention, and
to whom McIiinlepisT ia abominable. The
lamp has been kept burning that will
guide their footsteps to the wide open
door,
That is drvel. Organism nis practi-
cally "the only alter nativen The coinage
question will be the overshadowing issue
In American politics IN the next Presi.
Dental campaign. .Thesss-pposition that
the party which polled about six and a
half million votes for free coinage last
November will see the light in the win
dow of 'the paternal mansion" and
simply ludicrous. The Democracy has
been free silver party ever since the
coinage question began to be discussed.
Scores of test votes in Congress attest
the unflinching support of the free coin
age demand by the Democracy year after
year. There was never O more honest
declaration of the party faith than the
coinage plank of the Chicago platform.
We opposed that demand and time has
not changed our views, but we conf
mended the fidelity and fiat-footed can.
dor with which that convention declared
the faith for which the party had long
been contendiug.
The Democrats in the Congressional
elections of next year AID in the Presi-
Dental fight two years later will use the
tariff issue for all it is worth, but thew
will value it chiefly as an aid to the nara
mount issue of free coinage. The Demo
cratic leaders do rot believe there Is an
early resurrection for the Cleveland tariff
reform policy.
AS to the gold Democrats, they will
have IN 1900 the same option they had in
1896 If they continue to regard free
coinage as republication and dishonor and
the men who support 1t as enemies OF the
republic, they will either flock by them
selves or vote the Republican ticket, and
the latter will be the more sensible
course. In spite of--all their raging they
will have to make a choice betweeen a
free coinage party and the Republican
organization. The great national Dem.
ocratic party is apparently not caring
much what course the boilers adopt. in
fact it is cruelty ungrateful for the ten
der affection which keeps that lamp burn
ing to guide their footsteps TO ''the pa
ternal mansion. "-Washington Post.