New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-07
THAT "1nprnENr ASSERTION"

The Republican party should be grateful to
ex-President Cleveland for his Fourth of July
letter TO Tammany Hall. 1t was particularly
kind of him, just on the eve OF the 81. LOUIS
convention, where Southern Democrats are gain
ering with a demand that their party commit
itself to discrimination against the negro boldly
TO declare the doctrine of the equality of man.
This stand for equal rights of all citizens Is
likely TO dampen the ardor of those Democrats
who think that they have found good issue
for the union Of their partys discordant ele-
ments in the race question, and In any d1spo-
sition they may fancy they detect In the hepuD-
hcans TO secure TO the negro whatever is guar
anteed to him by the Constitution.
Mr. Cleveland also does the Republicans
good turn by referring 10 what he calls the
"impudent assertion" of the Republican plat
form that the Republican party alone Is cOmpe-
tent and honest enough to direct the government
Political platforms are liable to be little ex-
travagant in their phraseology. They point
with pride" to their own achievements, and
view with alarm" the past and prospective OPP
erations of their opponents. Therefore we
should not have thought Of discussing seriously
this phase OF the platform II Mr.. Cleveland had
not brought ii forward. His reference to the
'Impudence" Of the Republicans in thinking
themselves necessary to the proper conduct Of
the government recalls the 'impudence" or
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James
Monroe II Mr. Cleveland will consult their
works he will find a calm self-sufiiciency and
an "impudent assertion" that their party is the
salvation Of the country and that the Oppo-
sition is certain to plot the overthrow OF the
Constitution and human freedom itself, which
will make the self-righteousness of the Re-
publican platform in comparison suggest the
poiteness OF Alphonse and CASTOR. These
leaders of the Democracy in their writings
identified the party absolutely with patriot
ism, and did not hesitate 10 class Federalists as
public enemies. Party intolerance was carried
by them 10 n point unknown in these days.
Uven late as 1917, long after the bitterness
OF the party's struggle for power, Monroe, on
becoming President. seriously discussed with
Andrew Jackson the possibility of recognizing
as friends Of liberty and the Constitution old
Federalists who had drifted TO the support OF
the Democracy on national issues while retain
ing their local organizations. Monroe decided
he could not. He protested that he was no
party man, but nobody outside the party could
be considered 10 have safe republican prin.
Ciples AS late as 1856 the Democratic National
Convention resolved that Democracy was good
and that Federalism of all kinds. as It chose
to call all opposition, whether Wing or Repub-
ncan, was 'abominable." Since then the De-
mocracy has had small opportunity 70 plume
itself on its superior capacity and assume its
oldtime proprietary air in the nation, but for
any Democrat TO complain because another
party thinks the public safety dependent on It
IS grOtesque
Moreover, as our Democratic neighbor. 1.-THE
Times" points out, the Republicans have more
than the customary excuse for airs of superior
fly. 1t says:
For two successive Presidential campaigns tho
Democratic party has shown itself bereft Of rea-
son. 1t has twice put an impossible candidate
on an insane platform. insomuch that neither
tho ex-President nor the Democrats for and to
whom he speaks have been able TO support the
Democratic candidate nor to gainsay the Repub-
lican pretension that upon those two occasions
the destinies OF tho country could not safely
have been intrusted to any but the Republican
party.
IL we remember correctly, on at least one of
those occasions Mr.. Cleveland himself thought
the destinies of the country could not be safely
intrusted to any but the Republican party.
Moreover, the two Democratic experiments in
government in the last forty years were so un-
fortunate and so emphatically repudiated by
the people at the first opportunity that the Re-
publican organization can hardly be blamed for
echoing an opinion which seems, with rare ex-
ceptions, to have predominated in the country
at large for many years, and to have been
shared at times by many eminent Democrats
themselves.