Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-04-11


quit the Greenville News the charge OF
being Republican newspaper; but if ever
an advocate had a bad case or news
paper was wading in deep water, the posi-
ton of either would be comfortable, be-
side the present pledicament of THE En-
QUIRER. For instance THE ENQUIRER
says: "The News or any other paper has
right to advocate whatever measures il
sees fit without forfeiting claims to
Democracy; but if the next Democratic
national convention again declares tol
free silver and Bryan, and The News fails
to swallow both, we will be unable to see
it's future loyalty" Now let it be said tC
the credit of The News, to its intelligence
first, that it does not doubt that Bryan
and the Chicago platform will be sus..
tanned by the Democratic convention, and
to its honesty, it has never intimated thai
it would support either. The Chicago
platform is Democracy, until repudiated
by the Democrats. No newspaper which
openly affirms that it prefers both the
Republican platform and the Republican
candidates to the Democratic platform
and candidates, has any right, legal,
moral or sentimental to call itself DEM
ocratic newspaper. 1t may be a good pa
per, it may be ably edited, it may be hon.
est, it may be valuable, it may be sincere,
it may be far superior in all respects to all
other papers but it cannot be Demo-
cratic paper.-Spartanburg Herald.
The Herald is somewhat mistaken
in what it has to say. THE ENQUIRER
does not seek to acquit The News ol
anything. The editor of that paper
has stated clearly in his editorial col
umus that he is not a Republican, and
we have not seen any other utteraDce
of his that would warrant us in going
behind that statement. If loyalty to
free coinage of silver is the test oi
Democracy, then there was time,
even after the proposition had been
endorsed by the Democratic platform
when The Columbia State was under
Indictment, and the quality of the
News and Courier's Democracy is
doubtful even to this day. AS we see
it, the Democratic party went before
the country on the free silver issue
four years ago and was defeated. 1t
does not follow, however, that because
this was the leading issue four years
ago, it must ever remain so until
free silver wins. That is not the his
tory of parties or platforms. Upon the
defeat of the party by the nation four
years ago, it devolved upon the party
to examine itself thoroughly in order
to discover wherein it was not accept
able, and to endeavor to make itself
more acceptable. So far as we are
concerned, we believe as strongly in
free coinage now as we did four years
ago, and we hope to see it again made
the leading issue; but we have no
quarrel with those Democrats who
think otherwise, for we have studied
the question enough to recognize that
there are two sides to it. If, however,
after a full and free discussion of four
years, having listened impartially to
all that can be said on either side OF
the question, the party again decides
to espouse the cause of free silver,
then it seems to us that it becomes the
duty of all party newspapers to quietly
submit to the majority. If they do
not want to do this, then, of course,
they have the right of pulling out and
becoming independent or going to the
Republicans. The News did not stand
by the party four years ago; but it is
our recollection that the present editor
was not responsible for its policy'then.
What it might do this year, of course,
we do not know but in our opinion
it has right to fight for such princi-
Piles as it considers Democratic until
the meeting Of the next national con-
vention, when, if it is good, it will
have to accept as its creed the creed of
the party.