The Springfield herald., 1901-03-29
DEMOCRATIC REORGANIZATION

utterly deInofallZeu us IL WIS "t '
| end of the last session at any time
during the past thirty years. II
lacked strength to even tilibuster ana
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 pad Il
pligh; rs it was in Che last days oil
the fifty sixth Congress. a large num-
Der of Democrats still consider MI
BRYAN the official head of the party,
by virtue of his candidacy. and posi-
bly, there may be some Democrnts-lh
Arkansas-who consider the Hon. Jim
Jones the official head of the party,
because he is still, as lie has been dur
ing the last two campaigns, chairman
of the Democratic national commit
tee. There is Il general feeling, now
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; ana the!
recollcct sadly the time when the par
ty did have some success, anp when
Grover Cleveland and David B. thll
were leaders in New York and in the
party generally. Compared with the
present those were palmy days for the
Democracy, and it is natural that they
should look back to those days Win
regret and turn for advice to the men
who were then leaders.
There have been n good many oil
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 Il general way,
that the Democrats cannot hope for
success until they return TO the prin-
ciples 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 a summary of what he says.
.In this time of dire defeat, when
the shouts of the victorious hosts of
plutocracy, commercialism and impe-
rialsm at their recent inaugural fes-
tiyities 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
II am sure that 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. Ihe
people will not restore the Democrat
ic party to power unless they are sat
istied 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 op-
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 bust
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,; ii
means the displacement of free silver,
and frustrating. and opposition to
government by injunction In fact,
it means complete change of front.
The Democracy has tried new issues;
two campaigns have been devoted to
them: the Populistic element Of the
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 pretty complete
DISCRIMINATION of the party. 1t is
not likely that the Democratic dele
gates in the national convention of
1901 will repeat the experiment. De