The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-28
DPMocRACY's BLUNDER.

Tho Charlotte On. C.) Observer repro
ay,..os from our columns the article iroi"
the Charlottesville Progress. which VIZ
recently printed and reviewed, on 'he
folly and suicidal policy of Democratic
f,.sion, or alliance, or ASSOCIATION "
,sl,atever character with Popuiists anu
Free Silver Republicans and others VINO
.re not in thorough accord with the prin-
cipies and policies of the Democratic
party. Our Charlotte contemporary Is
Impressed with the fact, as the Times
was Impressed, that this article comes
from a. Virginia newspaper. which mas
s,een in harmony with the Democrats
: organization ard which gave Its corolai
support to the platform and ticket n
1896 and 1900 1t says that the declaration
from the article which needs to be taken
especially to heart is that through wild
leadership the Democratic party has lost
the confidence of the conservative men
OF the country, and that until 1t regains
/, this it cannot hope to regain power
Wo do not profess to have the gift OF
prophecy, but our readers will recall that
we said time and again in recent years
that il tho Democratic party continued to
tie itself to free silver and free silVerisnl.
and to consort with Populists and Repuo-
licans. 4. would not only be defeated but
the organization would become democrat
lied. That prophecy has been hteraliS
fulfilled. No man can stand up To-Day
and declare with any degree Of certainty
the principles Of the Democratic party,
md no man knows who the Democratic
leaders are. The party is in state ol
chaos. Chairman Jones and his intimates
tell us that the principles of the Demo-
cratic party are to be found in the plat
form Of 1900, but there is, to say the
and if there should be a National Demo-
cratic Convention tomorrow it would be
impossible to forecast to-day what the
platform would be.
There were divisions in the Democratic
party from the time Of its organization
on certain questions of public policy, but
there was no division until 1896 on the
principles of Democracy. Take the plat
forms of the party from the beginning
until then and the same underlying prin-
ciple is in each and ALL But in 1896, the
party departed from its well-known
principles, and as Senator Tillman put
Ill, New Democracy was formed
There were new principles and new lead
ers, but the party went down in defeat
I'm two campaigns, and now nobody
knows whether the principles Of the
'sNew Democracy" or the principles Of
the Old Democracy are the true prin-
the Democratic party to-day stands on the
great questions Of the day. There IS
doubt and there is uncertainty and thou
sands and thousands of men do not know
whether they belong to the Democratic
party or not
It is a sad story. But we believe that
the great body Of Democrats in this
country have profited by their late expe-
riences, and that when the representa-
tives of the party meet next time in con-
Eention they will correct those mistakes
and return to the old-time principles Of
the party. With this done. and with
genuine Democrats in the lead it will
Eot take the party long to regain the
confidence Of the public. The career of
the Democratic party is not ended be-.
cause its mission is not ended; there is a
great work for it to do, and we believe
that it will do it. One of the best signs
Charlottesville Progress has had the
frankness and the courage to confess the
errors that have been made and to de-
knand that they be corrected.