The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16
Tho Dinner Method of Regenerating
Democracy.

We have a good deal of respect for the
acute perceptions and straightforward in
tellectual processes Of Mr.. JEFFERSON NJ.
great statesman whose ameb be bears, and as
to the subject of honest dollars and the hon.
orable maintenance Of the nations faith and
credit his intimate convictions, If we are
not mistaken, leave nothing to be desired.
At Mr.. GEORGE L. HARDING's dinner
party to Mr.. RICHARD CROKER the other
night at the Democratic Club Mr.. LEVY
spoke of the club as "the future national
home of a united and triumphant party"
He also expressed the hope that the din
ner in question was to be "the first Of
many that would result in a more thorough
understanding among all Democrats in all
parts of the country"
AS a promoter of political harmony and a
unifying force operating upon diverse opin-
ions and divergent interests, the dinner
table must always be a powerful adjuvant
SO long as the human 9sophagus remains
what it is. Col. BILL BROWN knows its
value. The late Victoria Hotel witnessed
some of its most notable triumphs. But
the political dinner party cannot do all the
work and the most ably conceived and
executed repast will run in vain from clans
to coffee in the presence of the absolutely
irreconcilable.
We have v%entured, therefore, to inquire
directly of Mr.. JEFFERSON NJ. LEVY upon
what platform of principles the Democratic
| Club of New York expects to unite the
Democracy of the nation. Mr.. LEWIS re-
| ply is printed in another column. 1t will
be read with interest by people of all sorts,
but it Is not of a character to resolve the
last doubt concerning the success of the
multi.prandial project of regeneration.
Mr.. LEVY says, with truth, that a politi.
cal party can nave but one platform at a
time. The present platform of Democracy
is the Chicago platform. Mr.. LEVY objects
to the Chicago platform for several reasons,
not the least of which Is its declaration for
the free and unlimited coinage of silver.
Nevertheless, there the Chicago platform
stands, and there it must stand until the
next National Democratic Convention in
1900 as the supreme expression of party
principle. So he admits that the Demo-
cratic Club, as a promoter of harmony by
dinners or otherwise, must for the present
certainly get "the Democrats of the city,
State, and nation" together on the Chicago
platform, il it gets them together at all.
But this is not harmony 1t is absolute
surrender on the part of those former Dem
ocrats of New York and the East, who, like
Mr.. LEVY, detest and personally reject the
principles enunciated in the Chicago plat
fern. There is no sophistry of definition
or phrase by which they can stand as a
Democratic club upon the Chicago plat
form unless they accept, individually and
severally, the declaration of the platform
as their personal creed in politics. They
mo accept ii without believing in it.
They can no more accept it for n limited
period Of two years and six months, without
believing in it, then they can accept it fol
all time without believing In it. There,
fore, when the sincere Bryanite Democrats
of the West, the advocates of the free and
unlimited coinage of silver at sixteen to one
independent of the action OF any other
nation, the supporters of the various un'
Jeffcrsonian and previously un-DemocratiC
heresies which Mr.. LEVY describes and de,
spises, are invited by Mr.. LEVY and his
associates to come and dine on the Chicago
platform for the sake of harmony, the In
v~itation proceeding from Mr.. LEVY and his
associates Is either surrender or humbug.
If it is humbug, We have no comments tC
make. Mr.. LEVY and his friends are capa
BILE of being sufficiently ashamed of them
selves under the circumstances without
any assistance from as.
| II it is su1ksnder. that Is to say. II Mr.