Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-09-08
POLICY OF A PARTY.
DEMOCRACY DEMORALlZED BY
FUSION AND CONFUSION.
Party Whose Political Attitude Tor
Nearly Fifty Years Has Been AGin
the Governmi Rickety Chicago
Platform Has Become Dangerous
Party of Opposition.

Tor nearly U1Cy COuSeCuGfo JS'S' ~
usually short and simple, and was con-
cisely stated by the Irishman who de-
fined his political attitude by saying:
"Oi am agin the gOvernmlnt." Wnen
the Democratic party breaks away
from that natural, fundamental creed
which needs neither explanation nor
excuse, filings to the winds its tradition
al policy Of striving to thrive solely up
on the blunders Of the dominant party
and strikes out with a determination
to become a party Of aggression ana
progression, it Is not surprising that
it presents the amusing spectacle OF fu-
sion and confusion, which has been on
exhibition ever since that wonderful
structure, the Chicago platform, was
builded In 1885, The effect ls that an
important election is rapidly approach
ing, and no man can say with conn
dence-not even Democrat-what the
great party of opposition is to stand
for in the contest.
Early in the present year 1t daWned
upon the comprehension of the Bryans,
Blands, and Baileys Of the party that
what little was left Of the Chicago
structure by the political cyclone OF two
years ago had become so seriously
weakened that the rickety platform
would no longer support great party,
and that new planks must be thrown
out to keep the Democratic vote above
water in the elections of 1893. With
the true instinct Of an opposition party,
the Democratic leaders thought they
saw their opportunity in the policy OF
territorial expansion resulting from
the war so ably conducted by the He
publican administration. If they could
not ride into power On the credit OF
successful foreign war, they would
seize it's fruits by condemning the poll
cy Of expansion, which they proceeded
to denounce under the name OF ''1mpe-
rialism." The Cleveland wing saw 1t
first, as evidenced by an impassioned
appeal against territorial expansion
made on July 18th by the Hon. Judson
Harmon, Acknowledgement under
Cleveland.
Not to lose the control established at
Chicago, the organs, Blands, and Bal
leys rushed into speech and print on
the same lines, and were frantic In their
denunciation Of Republican imperial
ISM" Sad as it may seem and close
as these leaders claim to be to the
masses Of the voters, they DO not ap-
pear to have sounded accurately the
depths Of public sentiment even in their
own ranks. Mr. Bailey, who raised the
cry in Democratic Texas, was promptly
turned down by the State convention
Of his party, and Bland, the whilom
mouth-plece of Missouri Democratcy,
has met the same fate from the same
cause In his state.
Wyoming Democrats have unblush-
ingly taken the logical and patriotic
position that the United States should
retain all the territory it has won from
Spain. The Democracy Of other states,
like Illinois, for example, has ignored
the subject entirely. The Democrats
of others, like New York, Pennsylvania,
and New Jersey, propose to avoid the
question by hiding their heads under
platforms carefully confined to state
issues, and still other states. like Cali
fornia, are straddling the issue in a
manner at once inexplicable and ri
diculous.
On the question of free silver the
Democratic party Is equally confused.
Some state conventions, as in CalifOr-
MIA, have perfunctorily reaffirmed the
demand of the Chicago platform for "a
return to the constitutional system Of
free and unlimited coinage Of gold and
silver at the ratio Of 16 to l." Others
propose to avoid the subject entirely,
while In still others, as in Oregon and
Rhode Island, the party has been over
whelmingly defeated on the direct
financial issue. Wyoming has relegated
it as an issue to the buried past, and
Colorado Republicans are talking Of
getting together on live issues, although
Senator Teller has emphatically de-
clared that the friends of silver must
still unite On the state ticket without
regard to party lines and policies. The
Democrats of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin
are still rallying round the Chicago
platform, although the voters of those
states have condemned 1t, and although
it is known that the Democracy of New
York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts
will never stand on 1t. We recommend
the laconic advice OF President Lin
coin: when you have got an elephant
by the hind leg and he is struggling to
get away, you had better let him CO."
1t is impossible to understand how a
party so involved in the meshes of its
own blunders, without an issue in
touch with public sentiment, and with
out unity Of purpose on any public
policy, can hope to win at the polls
The Republican party, true to it's con-
structive character, will recognize the
destiny awaiting the nation, and will
frame it's policies to meet it. "a people
who shorten their swords, lengthen
their boundaries. San Francisco Ar
gonaut.