The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-06-29
DEMOCRATS ONLY.
Irreconcilable DiGerences Put the
Democrats In . Perplexing
Plight.


1t must occur TO the entirely inn
partial observer that the men who
have taken upon themselves the future
of the democratic party are giving
themselves great deal of unnecessary
toll and travail in their efforts to fur
nish the party platform in 1904.
They have been expecting that the
administration will make some mis-
take. They have had hope in inn
periafism, but in the settlement OF
the insular difficulties that hope is
fading. They expected to find some
thing in the stamp and other war
taxes, but the last troublesome stamp
will be used June 30. They are as
sailing the trusts, but they cannot
formulate a plan for their suppress
sion. The third-term bogy afforded
hope for the space of seven days, when
the president crushed il, to their evil
| dent chagrin. One faction Is talking
indefinitely of reorganization and
| new platform, but the other, led by
Mr.. Bryan, assails with vehemence
every move to conciliate the gold dem
ocrats. The louder Mr.. Watterson and
HIS IIlclUS tTN Out HtN PidiicA III
and new leader" the more vehement
Is the protest of Mr.. Bryan and his
| associates. The more democratic
principles are discussed the more evil
dent il becomes that the party lead
ers, or would-be leaders, cannot agree
upon an affirmative declaration about
anything unless it be a vague denunci-
alton Of trusts Having been on both
sides o: the currency question in the
last dozen years, no declaration can
be made on that topic. Having been
silent during the leadership of Mr..
Bcyan on the tariff question, recollec-
ton of the defeat of 1894 on that
issue will deter the prudent ones from
| writing "a tariff for revenue only"
as the leading feature in the platform
of 1904. In general terms, they may
demand economy of expenditures, but
they dare not denounce the most ques-
tionable expenditure for river and
harbor improvements, for which near
~ every one of them voted in the last
congress.
Unable to agree upon positive plat
form with anything like unanimity.
why do not the leaders and editors OF
the democracy adopt the prudent
course Of not having any platform ex-
cept eve are democrats?" They all
call themselves democrats. Even the
latest converts from populism or sill
verism, like Gen. Weaver, of Iowa,
and Senator Teller. now affirm that
| they are democrats. Senator-elect
Dubois has reached the democratic
camp via the obliterated silver trail;
ex-President Cleveland announces that
he has always been in the democratic
camp, even II he has twice connived
at the defeat of Mr.. Bryan. Mr..
Bryan, who denounces gold democrats
one day in every week, Is in the dem
ocratic camp. In fact, all Of them
insist that they are in the demo-
cratic army and have never been out
of it. Even to the half-blnd this
condition should suggest a remedy,
which is to make the next democratic
platform eve are simply democrats"
IL an explanatory plank be needed, it
might read: Because we have so
many irreconcilable views upon every
important public question, this con-
vention will neither affirm nor deny a
| belief in the Chicago or any other
platform, but we are unalterably dem
ocrats, and will vote for any candidate
who stands upon the platform: am
! a democrat. "-Indianapolis Journal.