The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-01-13
EDITORIAL COL UNIV
Expedients VS. Principle.


pedients necessary in Off-year cam
so saith the organ Of Crawford
county democracy. What a shameful
and STAINLESS admission. Expedients,
forsooth, are made necessary in off year
campaigns. What is meant by tex
pedientsn but an abandonment of
principle in order to catch votesY That
is what the Bulletin4means. 1t means
that for the sake of gaining a few Of
fees, principles are to be, and have, at
various times, been abandoned. And
the great friend of the common people
says that such treacheries ''are neces-
sary in off-year campaigns Will he
tell us what stress of circumstances are
sufficient to make these s'expedients'
necessary Will he tell us how any
man or any party can make these
chickering's with conscience and still he
honest? Will he tell us how many
circumstances" and of what character
they must be to make it necessary for
him to seek s'expedients."
We have thought this of the demo-
cratic party for long time but we did
not like to say it, however now that its
local champion proclaims unblushingly
that expedients are necessary in off
year campaigns, that surrenders of
honor and integrity are common in his
party in off years, we can see no harm
in repeating the statement and adding
that with democracy it seems to be
mostly ''off years. p
Can you, if you are an honest man
and true, imagine circumstances in an
s.off year" or otherwise that would
make you give up your religious con
victions and surrender your creed by
resorting to ''expedients?" Should not
right and wrong be just as precious in
politics or business as in religion?
For right is right and wrong is wrong
and right will win the day. Half the
crimes of history have been committed
as expedients. Murders and arsons
and crimes unment ionable but too often
find their excuse in expediency.
Are you not suspicious of the shifty
business man, ever resorting to exped-
tents to gain his point? The word as
used by the Bulletin means lie. 1t
means that for the sake of offices in an
off year his party will lie. If it lies in
au off year, who will go bond that it is
not lying every year?
Now we would like to ask which are
the expedients and which the principles
of the democratic party? There are SC
many different platforms, so many
varieties of democratic opinion that il
is difficult for lay writer to tell which
is which. Were we to ask a New Yorl
democrat he would say free silver was
an expedient; were we to ask Bryan hi
would say that silence on this question
was an expedient, and yet both of thes,
advocacy and silence, yes even disap
; proval, are sanctioned by the Bulletin
. as necessary '.expedients" in an .sof
year. !"
If free silver is right, if it is tn,
booming question before the American
people today, no circumstance SHOULD
. be of sufficient Importance to make it
advocates abandon it, A principle
: that is so easily abandoned for the SAX
of expediency cannot be of prime i'm
portance, or If it is, it's supporters mus
be insincere and cowardly. Did 20,
ever hear of the abolitionists yieldin,
their principles forsexpediency' S sake
No, such is not the stuff out of which
great movements come. AS soon a
the barter of principle for place begins
principle is doomed. Yet such ,is tn,
statement, inadvertently but frank.
made by the exponent of this county,
democracy. We do not think it is en-
tirely fair to its party, we have NOR,
faith in democracy than has the Bulle
tin, for while we are willing to admit
with that paper that it's leaders ar,
mercenary and willing to sacrifice prin
ciple when circumstances render til,
expedient necessary, still we believ,
the rank and file to be honest and tina
some day they will repudiate the fol
lowers of expediency and all their ilk.