Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-12-09
TW ELVE PAGES
DECEMBER .. 1889.
SHEEP AND GOATS.

Juuge .. ". rooney, described by the
Buffalo Times as one of Kentuckys
'most distinguished sons" was inter
cepted by an Erie Reservation reporter
last week, and yielded to an interview,
of which this Is the juiclest part:
Are you Democrats Of Kentucky
confident that Bryan will be the next
Presidential nominee Of your party?
was asked.
LAS confident as we are that the sun
Will rise on the day that the Democratic
National Convention meets was the
reply.
You might Infer from my language
that am silver man., commented
Judge Toney, but am not 1 am
gold man. But the other gold Demo-
Gratis OF the State and will support
the party nominees"
A gold man, but will vote the silver
ticket! Imagine Joshua lowering say
Ing: IT am q. Prohibftionist, but shall
shortly open rum shop" Judge Toney
is one of many gold Democrats to whom
the Democratic name Is more than any
principle. They have no taste for being
in q minority as they were in 1896.
They cannot bring themselves to Join
the Republican party. the only defence
against silver. Let the gold standard
slide if 1t Is to depend upon the Re-
publican party for it's strength a lit
tie principle once in while is good
thing. but. after all, the duty OF n
Democrat is to be q Democrat and to
submit meekly to the decisions of the
Democratic National Convention. Let
that body decide what he shall think
and let him no longer kick against The
pricks
The main consideration for men like
Judge Toney is to feel that they are
Democrats In good and regular stand
Ing. The Democracy of 1896 and 1899
may be as different from that of 1876
as Barren Island is from Araby the
Blest. Never mind! A Democrat Is a
Democrat and Judge Toney is bound
to be one. We trust that he will be
happy In returning to the old stand.
Then will the sheep and the goats be
divided. The gold Democrats who want
to support the gold standard will flock
to the Republican party. The gold
Democrats who want to be Democratic.
no matter to what lunaces their party
runs, Will go back to the old fold.--N Y
Sun.
AS the Sun has imagined Mr.. Lever
Ing saying an absurd thing, can il i'm
agine Judge Toney. or any other Dem
ocrat, saying anything more absurd
than this: II am a Democrat; but
shall vote with the Republicans"
Why should a Democrat vote with
the Republicans? How can he do it?
We can conceive of Democrat turn
ing Republican and VOTING the Re-
publican ticket but surely 1t is impos-
sible for a Democrat to do so. Nobody
questions that Democrat may change
his mind and become Republican. but
as long as he is a Democrat, he cannot
CO. operate, nor vote In political mat
tiers, with Republicans mo more than
a Federal in the war between the
States could cooperate with the Con-
federates. even though lie fully concur
red with the latter on the right of Sc
cession, the supremacy of the States
and people and on other points. a
man is this. or that, on his own juds.
ment. or preference, and no man shall
tell Democrat or Republican that he
must believe or stand by whatever the
party processes, in toto. No: SO he CO.
operates faithfully with the party he
adopts in the sight Of his fellow-man,
4 no inquisition shall interrogate him as
to the specific reasons or tenets, or
policies, or principles that decided him;
but II he joins the Democratic party,
his duty, in this representative govern
mcnt. is to act with his party until he
sewers his connection with it.
The Democratic party has never pro,
!. claimed that all Democrats should be
silvcrites. or bimetallists, in distinction
from Goldites. or monomctalists.
Never! The .Ghicago platform. like
Z every other plftform. only promulgated
& the policy and principles of the party.