Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-21
OrTLnOk FOR rHE DEMOCRACY.

OUTLOOK FOR THE DEMOCRACY.
The democratic party, if there can be
said to be an organization of that name,
is certainly not homogeneous. There are
democrats who believe in free silver,
there are democrats who believe in the
gold standards; there are expansion
democrats and anti-cNpanSion demo
Gratis; there are democrats who adhere
to the Chicago platform ana democrats
who believe that that platform antagon-
ICES every principle of sound democracy.
Thus the party is divided upon the most
important principles and policies affect
ing the foreign and domestic interests of
the nation.
What is the outlook for Il political
party thus divided in its own councils?
This question is discussed by Colonel
Henry WattcrSon in the Louisville
Couricr-Journal of last Saturday and his
conclusion Is that unless the democratic
party departs from the curse of the
last three years it will inevitably suffer
Il defeat more severe han that of 1896.
Discussing the declarations made by the
leaders of the party, Colonel Watterson
concludes that they will be less available
to win popular support than three years
ago. He believes that the free silver
issue is practically dead, that it will be
as useless next year as it was three
years ago to induce the states which
then decided against this financial
heresy to change their position. He also
,1,,,-. .l,. A., r.,.,. .-l,,.l lr.,1-l
against the Chicago platform in 1896,
with possibly one or two exceptions,
can be depended upon to decide in the
same way in 1900. In a late editorial
Colonel Watterson says that the "demo-
cratic managers seem to be providing
their party an eXact reproduction in 1900
of the disastrous experience which at
tended it in 1861" Everybody familiar
with our political history will remember
what the party did in that year, when
it declared the war q failure and nOmi-
mated u prominent union soldier as n
candidate for the presidency. The demo-
cratic party then made n very vigorous
fight, but it was Overwhelmingly de-
feated. Subsequently, as Colonel Wat
terson points out, it tried the fiat money
proposition and this was re%pudiated by
the American people, because it involved
national dishonesty and a reputation
of the credit of the government; Col
onel Watterson makes n strong point of
the fact that in 1864 the people rejected
the proposition that the war was a fail
ure, though We cannOt cOncede that
there is a proper parallel with that sit
uation and the present one. The atti-
tude of the democratic party at that
time was not simply unjustitiable-it
was absolutely reasonable. The exist
ing situation is vitality different. yet
men of the old democratic faith, like
Colonel Watterson, very naturally re
gard the present position of the democ-
racy as hardly less culpable than that
of 1864.
The Richmond Times says that the
democratic party today is without char
acter and standing in the nation. 1T has
lost the confidence" says that paper,
"if not the respect, of the great body
of intelligent, thoughtful men of this
country This is unquestionably the
fact and under its present feeble lead
ership the further decline of the demo
cratic party is inevitable. With its pres
ent leadership the outlook for the party
mex year is utterly hopeless.