The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-01-15
TUESDAY. JANUARY i. 1901.
THE OUTDOOR FOR DEMOCRACY.


Senator Tilman, of South Carolina, is
now an advocate of reunited Demo-
cracy and suggests that all who believe
in Democratic principles stand together.
That is good doctrine, but what man can
get up to-day and declare the exact
principles of the Democratic party? We
had a chart by which we were guided for
many years. and there were no two opn-
ions as to what constituted the principles
of the party. But in 1895 Mr.. Tillman
and his associates re2udiated the time
honored principles of the party and
adopted Il new platform of principles,
and it was Mr.. TIlman's boast that at
the Chicago convention in 1896 a New
Democracy was born These reformers
declared that the free coinage of silver
at the ratio Of il to / was u cardinal prn-
ciple of Democracy and made that the
test Of Democracy. But does Mr.. Tillman
or any other man pretend to say at this
time that free silver is now a Demo-
cratic principle? Even Mr.. Bryan. the
great apostle OF free silver, seems TO he
somewhat in doubt. In his latest public
speech he used these words:
Whether the money question will figure
prominently in future campaigns Will de-
pend upon circumstances which no one
can measure with certainty What is
desired is d sufficient quantity Of money
TO keep pace with the demand for money.
II an unexpected and unpromised in
crease in the output Of gold restores the
level OF prices and protects the pro-
ducers Of wealth from the evils OF an
approaching dollar. they who have
labered Cor bimetallism viii rejoice more
heartily than the tinanciers who advo-
Gated the gold standard at a time when
gold was scarcer and the dollar was be
coming dearer.
This is about near surrender as we
could reasonably expect a man of Mr..
Bryan's temperament to make. Free sill
Yer is not only dead, but il is dead
issue, and one thing is Very certain, that
in formulating another platform OF Dem
ocratic principles that question which
has veXed and flarassed the party Tor so
long will not have 10 be taken into ac-
count. II that had been the only issue
that divided Democrats there would now
But free silver was something more than
matter of coinage. Ii carried with it
various other questions OF public policy
which We're Populistic in their tendency,
and while free silver is dead. free silver
ism is still, unfortunately, a living issue.
and there are men in the Democratic
party who believe in it. The lump of
Democracy has been leayened with Pop
ulism. and that is why ii is so difficult a
probler TO reform the party and put it
back where il was when the Populistie
element got control OF the organization.
Mr. Ti!lman says that our destiny
must be defined by the principles which
have guided the party since its founda-
ton That is q fact bat unless Mr.. Till
man has radically damaged within the
past several months he would be one of
The first men TO raise his voice in protest
should AN honest attempt be made 10
purge the party of Popalism and declare
for an o!d-ame Democratic platform The
biunder of 1896 has brought demoraliza-
lion upon the party. and the predictions
of those Democrats who refused 10 sup
port the Chicago platform have been ful-
filed
The most hopeful sign to us is the dis
position 10 drop Bryan and take David
3. Hill as the leader OF the party. If
this be done. the problem will be much
more easily solved