The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-24
Must Get on Democratic Ground.

New Orleans Picayune.
 Since the close of the Civil War the Republican party has had no other ob- feet in existing except to enjoy power
 and public plumber. If it has remaining
 a single vestige of its old war doctrine
 it is to establish the freed negroes on
 a basis of social equality with the whites
 This has become an unpopular doctrine
 even in the Republican States. and it is
 not likely to be brought forward actively
 as an issue on the Republican side, all
 though the President and few other
 extremists may propose it. What is left to the Republicans Is to maintain the
 trusts, and at the same time coquet with
 the labor unions, and continue the policy
 of collecting enormous taxes from the
 people so as to have in hand fund to
 distribute for political purposes where it will do the most good.
 As for the Democrats, they must come
 back from following false lights, and
 plant themselves upon real Democratic
 doctrines The platform of 1884. upon
 which MT. Cleveland was elected, set
 forth the following:
 "The Democratic party pledges itsel1 to purify the administration from cor ruption to restore economy, to revive respect for law, and to reduce taxation to the lowest limit consistent with due regard to the preservation of the faith or the ndtlOn IO luS CTeultOIS anu pCii- sioners. Knowing full well, however l that legislation affecting the operations of the people should be cautious and conservative in method the Dem ocratic party Is pledged to revise the l tariff in a spirit of fairness to all inter ests But in making reduction in taxes | 1t is not proposed to injure any domestic | industries, but rather to promote their | healthy growth"
 RI,i, ta NA1 dnRkrinn RnnnntIN Senator German, who was interviewed upon the subject in regard to the reduc-
 tion of taxation, said:
 he policy of collecting from the earn 1 ing of the people something like $5000,- | 900 more than can be spent even with the | most reckless extravaganza IS an in iquity and wrong which the Democrat ic party should endeavor to right. Such policy breeds not only extravaganee but corruption. The revision of the tariff should, therefore. be a great issue in the presidential election. In order to win the Democratic party must have the confidence of the business interests oi the country. The lack of that confidence caused the defeats of 1896 and 1900. To secure that confidence now, there must be an explicit pledge that in the revision of the tariff 1t Is not the purpose of the party to wreck industries. many oi which were established under the exist | ing law. The pledge should be similar | to the one upon which the Democratic party elected it's ticket in 1SS1."
 | The Picayune is no admirer of the
 Maryland Senator, who has been recent
 ly restored to public life after a seasor
 of enforced retirement. and can but ap' prove his sound and conservative views as expressed above. Senator Daniel, oi | Virginia, in the same connection has said that: If the object of the advocates | of the Aldrich plan Is to get the money | out of the Treasury into trade and com merce. a much simpler and more consti' | tutional method would be to leave the money with the taxpayers, and the higl prices the people now have to pay foi everything they buy would cease. The most ordinary mind can well understand | that it is better to keep your money in your own pocket than to pay it out in taxes to be used as loans by one set of fnanciers against another set If the Republicans cannot do any better than this the Democratic nominee for preSi- dent will be elected in 1904
 It is absolutely necessary that the
 Democrats. if they would make grand effort to win. must abandon all radical and impractical schemes and come back to sound, conservative Democracy It is a long time to the next national cam paign, and it Is too soon to make plans,
 but 1t Is not too soon to begin to formu- late sound and practical doctrines that will command the confidence of the peo- Dle