The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-26
THAT DEMOCRATIC RALLY.

lHAI DEWUChAl1C 1CADul.
The attempt Of the democrats of the
country to "get together" at the Manhat-
tan club banquet in New York last Sat-
urday, was not very successful, in fact it
was not near as successful as was the at
tempt of those southern democratic lead
ers, Tillman and McLaurin, senators
both, to "get together" on the same day
on the floor of the United States senate.
These gentlemen "got together" with a
vengence, and their performance on the
senate floor was somewhat symbolic of the
disorder in the democratic party as to
policies, reflected in the organs of the
party. -.
Ex-senator David Bennett Hill was
conspicuous on the occasion of the rally,
and he voiced the desire of the party to
return to what he called ''the old land
mark democratic party 1t is just here
where the democratic party is at sea.
There is among them uniformly de-
fined set of principles. Mr.. Hill declared
that his party is "unalterably opposed to
irredeemable paper currency" His party
has fought for irredeemable paper cur
rency and deprecated metallic dollars in
several campaigns. He knows that they
split on this subject and that the MAORI
ty fought against sound money in the
campaigns of 1895 and 1900. He announces
''bimetallism" as true democratic policy.
1t was policy initiated by Hamilton and
Jefferson 112 years ago as an experiment,
which proved a fiat failure, the first coin
age act of congress under the constitu-
ton embodying that policy. It was soon
found that the cheaper metal, under an
memorable natural law, dominated and
drove out the dearer and degenerated
rapidly in value While Hill is talking
bimetallism in New York, Colonel Bryan
is voicing the same policy in Nebraska,
his translation of the word being silver
recommendation and bastard currency
Hill affects to be a sound money demo-
crat, but he is practically with Bryan.
Fortunately the nation has twice adjudged
bimetallism and the silver monometallism
policy antagonistic to great national in
terests, the maintenance Of the public
lily divided ON this subject as it is on ex-
pansion AS to the latter he says the
democrats hold to "Jeffersonian expan-
sion"-adding territory adjacent. to our
own. His party is divided on this sub
ject, too. There are half dozen or more
prominent democratic journals in the
south which heartily indorse the oversee
expansion following the Spanish war. Mr..
Hill claims that the "policy of reciprocity
Is and always has been a democratic pol
ICY" If so, Mr.. Hill should explain why
his party, when in power in congress,
killed the very advantageous reciprocity
treaty with Spain made under President
trade with Cuba. ..
Watterson also laid down democratic
policy in a letter to the Manhattan club
The letter is mainly one of Watterson's
jocular Arrangements" of the republican
party. AS usual, he falls into the "hully-
| the tail end of his yoluminous epistle this
brilliant democratic leader says:
am one of those who believe that half a
lodI Is ueLLei Iudu no DTedQ. we are first OF
all to arrest the downward course of public
life, and to restore the old ideals of liberty
and law: to rescue the government from the
syndicates; to put a restraint upon arbitrary
power-not to reform the world nor to deal
out specifics Of universal applcation-and, If
! in the beginning we draw a line between the
possible and the impossible, while it may not
meet the hopes of the more fervid. it will
| surely conduct us out of the long, dark night
! of Gissension and into the dawning light of
the day-star of democracy reunited, un-
terrified and indebted.
! All of which generalization is sorry the
rapeutics for party which needs a specific
to pull it out of the hole. The party re-
mains divided and clutching for an eff
cient Moses. Abuse of the party in power
will not help it particle. A persistent
particularism perpetuates the warning
groups. With dozen leaders, each lay
ing down different law, the rank and
file are bewildered, and this on the eve Of
congressional contest, really one of the
most important in the history of the ma
ton. Both Hill and Watterson, and the
other democratic pilots, may as we'll take
the advice of the clown in Hamlet: sCud-
gel thy brains no more about it; for your
dull ass will not mend his pace with
beating"