The Elk Mountain pilot., 1901-04-02
DEMOCRATIC REORGANIZATION

end of the last session at any time
! during the past thirty years. II
[ lacked strength TO even filibuster and
obstruct. Pettigrew is reported to
have said that there is no Democratic
leadership, and If so it is the truest
thing Pettigrew has said since he
Joined the Democratic party.
Outside of Congress, in the country
at large, the party is in as bad n
plight as 1t was in the last days of
the fifty-siXth Congress. A large num-
Der of Democrats still consider Mr..
Bryan the official head of the party
by virtue of his candidacy, and possi-
bly, there may be some Democrats-in
Arkansas-who consider the Hon. Jim
Jones the official head of the party,
because he is still, as he has been dur
ing the last two campaigns, chairman
of the Democratic national commit
tee. There is a general feeling, how
ever, especially in the eastern states,
that these two are back numbers; that
/ if the party is ever to gain further sue
cess 1t must be under other leadership
and with n new organization; and they
recollect sadly the time when the par
ty did have some success, and when
Grover Cleveland and David b. Hill
were leaders in New York and in the
party generally. Compared with the
present those We're palmy days for the
Democracy, and it is natural that they
should look back to those days with
regret and turn for advice to the men
who We're then leaders.
There have been n good many of
these utterances about reorganization
of the Democratic party, but perhaps
none have been more significant than
those of Mr.. Cleveland and Mr.. Hill
at the recent banquet of the Crescent
Democratic Club of Baltimore.
Mr.. Cleveland is vague in his let
ter, simply saying, in n general way,
that the Democrats cannot hope for
success until they return 10 the prin-
clples of true Democracy. He does
not state what those principles are,
but one may infer that he means the
principles that he advocated when he
was President
Mr.. Hill is much more definite, so
much so that it is worth while to re
print n summary of what he says.
"In this time of dire defeat, when
the shouts of the victorious hosts of
plutocracy, commercialism and impe-
rialism at their recent inaugural fcs-
tivities at the national capital are
still ringing in our ears, we should re-
member that the darkest hour is Oft
entimes just before the dawn of day.
81 am sure that n majority of the
American electorate will not be salts
fed with the continued rule of radical
ism, extravaganza and corruption. But |
we must not deceive ourselves. The |
people will not restore the Democrat !
lc party to power unless they are sat |
isfied that we will give them better |
government than our opponents. The |
people want a safe and conservative |
administration of public affairs. There |
might be no question OF our intention |
to fearlessly maintain the nations |
credit under any and all circum-
stances. We might not permit our OPP |
ponents to place us in false position |
as the enemies of public order.
Labor and capital should be equally |
respected, but neither should be un-
necessarily assailed. Opposition to
dangerous corporate combinations
should not be allowed to degenerate
Into discriminate attacks upon char
tered rights. We should conciliate, |
rather than antagonize, the great busi- |
ness interests of the country, and this |
can be easily accomplished without |
the surrender of single essential par
ty principle"
If this advice is followed, it means
the throwing of Bryan and Altgeld |
and Tillman as national leaders; il |
means the displacement of free silver
and frustrating, and opposition to
government by Injunction" In fact, |
it means a complete change of front
The Democracy has tried new issues;
two campaigns have been devoted to |
them; the Populistic element of the I
party has been in complete control |
since the national convention of 1896, |
and the result has been two defeats, |
the last good deal more complete
than the first, and a pretty complete
disorganiZation of the party. 1t is
not likely that the Democratic dele
gates in the national convention of
1904 will repeat the experiment. De
votion to the new principles may
sound well in speeches, but Democrats
have never been noted for devotion to
nrincinleS thnt kent thnm ont of officn