The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-04-03
RETURNING TO THE FOLD.

RETURNING TO THE FOLD.
One of the most encouraging signs
of a brighter outlook for the success
of the National Democratic party is
the manner in which the conservative
press is accepting the leadership Of
Senator Arthur P. German as the
Moses to lead the party out Of the
wilderness ofdefeat into the Promised
Land of Success. Ofcourse, many of
their utterances are not in accord
with those of us who have followed
the party through these weary years
of defeat, yet we must accept them
with spirit of forgiveness as we
have tried to win without them and
every effort was a failure A recent
article on this subject, which appear
ed in Harper's Weekly, is an excellent
sign that the recalcitrant element Of
the party is tired of the husks of the
enemy and are anxious to make peace
on certain conservative lines. Itsays:
"The ascendency Of the conserva-
tive element in the Democratic party
was definitely established, when, OH
the meeting of the Senate i'll extra
session, the Democratic members Of
that body unanimously chose Sena-
tor Arthur p. German, ofMaryland,
to be chairman of their Steering
Committee. There is no doui:t that
the leader ofthe Democratic minority
in the next House Of Representatives
will act in concurrence with Senator
German, and Democrats, therefore,
throughout the country may look
forward to reorganization Of their
party on sound and sensible lines,
and to such an exhibition Of political
strategy and tactics as will enable
them to make the best of their OPP
portunities in 1904. The unanimity
with which Mr.. German was selected
for the post dictatorship is, ofcourse,
a tribute to the reputation for astute-
ness and efficiency which he gained
through his previous period ofservice
in the Senate The unanirnity is also
tantamount to an Acknowledgements
that the supreme needs of the Demo-
cratic party at this juncture are
caution, sobriety and sagacity. No
body that knows Mr.. German would
describe him as magnetic, but the
Democracy is thoroughly tired of
magnetism. 1t has taken eight years
to recover from the electrifying shock
which Mr.. Bryan's Gross of Gold
speech administered to the Chicago
national convention. 1t has come to
the conclusion that magnetism SPELL;
defeat, and that calm, undemon-
strative, long-headed leaders of the
German type are considerably more
likely to bring the party to the prom
Used land. Not even the late Presi-
dent Mckinley was a keener observer
or better judge of public opinion and
popular sentiment than is the Junior
Senator from Maryland. Under his
guidance the Democracy is unlikely
to make any fragrant mistakes, or to
miss any chance of regaining the con-
fdence of the country. He has an
nounced no programme, nor is he
expected to commit himself in adj
vance regarding any public measure.
He will cross bridges when he comes
to them. If we recall, however, the
positions which he took when he was
formerly the leader ofthe Democratic
Senator's, we may be certain that he
will not suffer the party to array itself
in vexatious and futile opposition to
measures which visibly commend
themselves to a large majority of the
voters. We believe for instance, that,
had he occupied place of authority
in the Fifty-seventh Congress, the
Aldrich financial bill, or the Fowler
bill, or some amalgam of those pro-
jects, would have been allowed to
pass, for he would have recognized
the expediency ofrelieving the string
ency of the money-market. We be-
lieve, also, that he would have as
sured the enactment ofthe Philippine
tariff bill, the failure to pass which
involved a grievous violation ofpub-
lie duty on the part of the last Con-
gress. Neither is he likely o counten-
ance flibustering for private purposes
such as Senator Tillman INDUCED |
in, when he forced the Conference
Committee to sanction the payment
of a claim put forward by South
Carolina, which by an oflicialinvcsti-
gator had been pronounced unbound
ed. 1t was, by the way, an act of
characteristic shrewdness to make
Senator Tillman himselfa member of
the new Steering Committee. The
Senator from South Carolina, who,
has often been inclined to
act as free lance, will henceforth be !