The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-08
"END OF THE BATTLE"

Such is the title Of the article in the
Courier-Journal in which Henry Wat
terson acknowledges that in the recent
fight in Kentucky he was beaten. He
declares that the vote of Tuesday last
fixes the relation of the Democratic
organization in Kentucky to the ma
tional organization of the Democratic
party, at least through the next state
and national elections. He further de-
clares that the vote was so decisive as
to leave nothing to conjecture. And
then Mr. Watterson goes on to say:
The issue as it was made, and has
! been fought out, was clear and explicit.
No effort was wanting TO MAINTAIN IT,
! Nobody could by any possibility be
mistaken about it. We may regret the
J verdict against us. but We accept II.
We shall make no further effort to d1-
rect the party course or counsels, or to
share in any of the responsibilities OF
| party leadership, having done our best,
according to our conscience and beilef,
| to divert our political associates from
a policy and procedure, the end OF
which no man can now foreSee, the re-
suits of which we very much fear, both
rs to the welfare of the country and
the party But we are Democrats, not
/ Republicans, and, mailing our flag to
| the masthead of Honest Money, Free
Trade and home Rule, we shall in the
character of a private soldier in the
ranks contribute whatever we are able
! to the aScertainment and the Vlndlca-
ton of Truth.
For the gentlemen who have by their
victory confirmed their leadership, we
entertain not the least ill-will. All the
honors belonging to that leadership be
theirs; and let us add, all the respon-
sibilities. If they continue to win vie
| tories, they will approve their commits
sions. If they lose them, they, in turn,
win have to pay the penalty of defeat.
Where we can, we shall support them.
Where we cannot support them, we
shall enter no factious opposition to
them. We go to political annihilaton
with perfect composure-without sin
gle resentment, or regret-having
fought out to the bitter end profound
! conviction in perfect fairness and good
faith.
There are many suggestions which
the vote of Tuesday summons to the
minds of thoughtful people; notably.
the results in Maryland. Greater New
| York and the city Of Louisville, Incl
dent to the elimination of strife and the
union of party forces; and as the smoke
y,
haps find it salutary to take these into
consideration But, for the present, we
shall leave the moral of the conflict
now ended to impress itself in its own
way upon the masses of the people AS
we said in the beginning, and have said
during the progress of the battle, we
repeat now; from none of the conse-
quences of the fight we have made for
what we believed just policies and
sound ideas, have we the least dispo-
sition to shrink. Had we the whole
/ thing to go over we should not veer
hairs line from the course we have
pursued; and, reviewing the record, we
| rocollect no word, or act, which we
would recall. What the rest can stand
we can stand. With charity for all,
! with malice tSWard none, we Shall con-
tinue TO do business at the old stand
precisely as if nothing whatever had
happened: relieved to be rid of all re-
sponsibility in party affairs; glad to go
to the rear of the columns; quite as
sured Of our ability at all times ard
under all circumstances to hold our
own with friend or foe, and certainly
Indifferent whether the case in point be
q fight, or a foot-racei
Mr.. Watterson says he is still Dem
ocrat and at the same time declares for
honest money!" which, with him
means a gold standard and opposition
to free silver. That he fought hard
and stubbornly for the triumph of his
views anyone familiar with the col
umns of his paper knows, but that for
which he fought was not to be- He was
never in sympathy with the declara-
ton of principles of the Chicago plat
form of 1896. and he probably has as
little liking for the tariff plank OF that
platform as for the financial one. But
what does he mean when he says that
in the character of a private soldier in
the ranke he viii contribute whatever
he is able to the ascertainment and the
vindication of truth? Does he mean
that he will accept Democratic leader
ship as declared for in Kentucky on
Tuesday last and be loyal to it, or that
he will accept it only when it follows
the road he would go? Perhaps tine
alone will or can answer this question.
All Democrats will keenly regret that
Mr.. Watterson is not in full sympathy
with Democratic principles of today,
for in the past he was ever brave and
brilliant fighter for Democracy; and
the memory of his past services to his
party will cause him to be ever held in
esteem and kind remembrance by Dem