The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-04-09
The Lexington Dispatch.
Wednesday, April 9, l9O2.
How to Win.
Eew6erry Observer.

How is the Democratic party to
win in the next campaign? That Is
the question.
II is admitted on ali sides that the
party has splendid fighting ground,
and that what is most needed is a
broad and aggressive and American
policy.
The rank and file of the people are
fast coming to the conclusion that
dead issues are really dead and that
if the party is to succeed it must be
on new alignment. Someone ex-
pressed it this way recently: MIR.
Bryan cannot expect the Democratic
party to stay out in the cold always
lust for the sake of his company"
The hifalutin, sublimated, sophomore
conception of democratic princi-
pies" has got to give place to the
more practical spirit of the age.
What Jefferson and Jackson thought
and said hundred years ago has
nothing to do with present issues.
The issues they contended for have
been settled long ago-they are dead,
and ought to be buried.
We must act in the living present.
We must face the issues before US to-
day and deal directly with them-not
from the standpoint Of inevitable op-
position to the administration or to
the Republican party, but according
to the rules of common sense and the
dictates of the highest patriotism.
A policy is not obliged to be wrong
simply because the Republican party
endorses it; and the Democratic party
has suffered by its policy of opposition
for opposition's sake. Take the ex-
pansion policy for instance. The
great mass of the citizenship of the
country north and south endorse the
action of the government in freeing
Cuba, in acquiring the Philippines
and in saying the flag Of our country
shall not go down in the dust to
pacify few, or many, Philippine in
surgents, who in spirit of basestin-
gratitude are Sighting against their
deliverers. Democrats in and out Of
Congress make grave mistake in
condemning the Philippine policy Of
the government and thus giving aid
and comfort to the governments enc
mics. It is no kindness to the Fill
pinos either to mislead them with the
idea that the Democratic party may
come into power and Immediately
give them ''freedom"-which to them
means the right to do as they please
without regard to law or the rights
of others. If the Democratic party
were to win they would have to con-
tinue the policy of subiugation until
the Filipino insurgents should lay
down their arms. Their duty to the
great body of islands would require
it. The sooner the Democrats drop
their CRY of imperialism" the better
for them.
Another cry they should drop is
that of free silver, for the country
has shown Enthusiastically in two cam
paigns that they do not want free sill
yer. It is a dead issue.
A real live issue is tariff reform.
And one good live issue in a cam
paign is worth dozen dead ones. It
was on that issue that Grover Cleve-
land won in 1884 and 1892.
Another issue is the control of the
trusts. That also is q live issue, and
if properly handled would tell effect
lively in campaign; but the danger
would be, if not judiciously handled,
it might degenerate into war against
capital of every description. Here
is one of the evils that has come from
a coalition of The Democracy with
the Populist and other "calamity
howlers" of the northwest.
Varieties Of Corn.