The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-28
Louisville Ccufier-Journal.

Co. Waatepoen Addresses . Few Ne
marks - 0ov. Alt1e1A.
Louisville Couxaer-JournaL
Amid the babel Of tongues into which the
Democratic party has fallen, Il II not at
all timao easy for the stranger who seeks
his way TO md II. II Thomas Jefferson
should come 70 nse NJ would have FIRST
to ask the time OF day and then the short
est cut back 20 where he came from: and
tastic things 70 be seen and heard. might.
In sheer heipiessness, exciaam, by the
eternal.' In hts speech q Cooper Ins,i-
tuse the other night Gov. Altgeld assured
the audience that the new Declaration of
Independence was the Chicago platform
OF 1854 He said that for thirty years after
the war the Democracy STOOD for prac-
tically the same things that the Repuh-
lican party stood for" that ~ had BE-
come q mere convenience Of political and
commercial manipulators." and that dur
ing these thirty dark years Il held out no
Inspiration. II pointed out no great pr!n-
ciple, u espoueed no great cause. II made
no heroic fight FOR anything
For thirty years. that is from 1856 TO
1885. the Democratic party. according TO
its selt-elec,ed Moses from Rotterdam. or
at least from Don't-sive-sr-dam. was
cowardly cerruptionist. playing second
nddls TO the Republicans
We had been OF . different impression.
Somehow We had got Il into our head
that tho Democratic party. under the lead
Of Seymour and Tlden In the general field
Of national politics. and that Of Thurman
and Bayard and Hendricks and Beck and
Pendleton ana Voorhees, and Randall and
Lamar and Kerr and Gordon and Hin and
Mcdonald. in congress. had made q fairly
good night against the radical scheme OF
reconstruction by which the constitution
was to be brushed aside and . centrahsed
despotism 10 be set up in room OF the
old free union Of the states. Again. We
had tho fancy. or conceit. or what you
WILL that tho party, with Cariisle At Its
head and such men as David A. Wells and
Frank Hurd and William n. Morrison and
Randolph Tucker and Roger Q. Mills had
rung very clear note and struck very
brave blow at monopoly through their
fight In favor OF tarin for revenue only;
and, although the fruits OF their labor were
lost to vs. by the broken promises OF the
Cleveland administration, criticism comes
with poor grace from q person who. like
Gov. Altgeld. helped to set aside the prin-
ciple OF tariff reform IN order that ~ bar
gain might be struck with an organised
body Of Free Silver Protectioniss Repub-
licana But. since the cx- governor tells US
that Bayard was fraud. and Thurman
was a thief that our own Beck sleeps In
a dishonored grave, and that TIlden. La
mar and Hendricks lived In vain, we must
accept tho new gospel. or else be ruled out
as no better than one OF the wicked. Is
u not so?
Now the Courier-Journai. having had It's
head chopped or long ago. has nothing TO
fear or to lose, and II can AFFORD quite as
much as Gov Altgeld. to say what II
pleases to say. and Il pieases to say that
II Gov AitReld Is Democrat, there are
then no Democrats In Kentucky. for all
Of our factions believe that Thurman and
Tilden and Bayard were honest men, wise
leaders and good Democrats. and that
Beck. Hendricks. Pendleton, Mcdonald,
Voorhees, ana tho rest, were like unto
them.
The Courier journal cannot accept Gov.
Altgeld's new Declaration o. lndspend-
snce just yet. We don't have to- We have
the right between national conventions 10
plead for whatever changes OF the party
platform and policy we think best. We
plead for old-tlme Democracy against Alt
geld and Altgeldism. The ex-governor IL
hair-spiittng German socialist or real
ability ana undoubted piainness OF speech.
As n fellow bolter We respect him. Buf
we can not accept his view. We think
the figh, against the force bill and kindred
denominations was bravo and wise: that the
night for a sound and stable currency. the
public credit and the nations honor. was
brave ana wise: that tho night for Just
system of taxation embodied by the de-
mand for . revenue ,arin was brave and
wise Each Of those battles called forth
q deal OF honest inspiration Each brought
10 the front Its representative great men
and good Democrats, Believing these
things. We still continue to fght on the
general lines OF principle and policy they
marked out. as far "a they bear any rela-
ton TO contemporary affairs.