The Irish standard., 1905-01-14
Points Out the Way in Which the Party Can
Be Rehabilitated and Victories Won
in the Future
We Can Now Put Past Theories and Factions
in Waste Basket and Write New
and Brave Platform.

Iue IOllOWluS is Ill part llle .duuieSS
of John Temple Graves, the noted
Southern orator, at a Jackson day
celebration in Cincinnati, Ohio:
'The name of Andrew Jackson is a
gallant name to conjure with in the
desperate fortunes of Democracy. The
need of the hour is the spirit of old
Hickory unbending, unflinching and
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in purpose, hope
sui in forecast, definite in policy and
.dauntless in action on the field. In
the visible wreck Of our ballets we
need now, if ever before, the 'desper-
ate courage that make one majority.
Let us face the situation squarely.
Let us see the worst in the beginning
and then 60 forward.
''The Democracy is sectional frag-
ment. By the record Of November the
Democratic party is the Solid South
with Maryland hanging by hair
with West Virginia gone, and even
Missouri swept from the historic moor
ings of half a hundred years. And
even the South, proud and pathetic in
its splendid isolation, has remained
loyal, not in the compulsion of convic-
ton, but in the sheer stress of danger
and necessity-held in leash by an
chronological terror that forces union
and compels solidity.
"For beneath the shadow of the race
problem there has been marshaled the
most motley host Of divergent convic-
lions that ever followed and fought
sunder the comprehensive banner Of
Democracy. No matter what man
believes in Dixie, he falls in line at
the tap of the drum and marches in
step with the white mans party. And
80 he will do until the end Of time or
the solving of the problem. Thanks
to the negro, the solid South alone
survive the cyclone Of November and
preserves the backbone Of the Demo-
cratic party.
"Two fully tried and fairly tested
experiments have simplified the prob
Gem and liberated us from the thrall-
dom of expedient to the free and fear
less advocacy of conviction. The silver
theory of the currency has been given
free course in two campaigns, and
alnder the most silver eloquence that
ever glorified the hustings we have
followed a matchless orator to pre-
ordained defeat. The Safe and Sane
Democracy refined and gilded with
a gold telegram, has had it's innings,
and the result, God knows, has added
nothing to the Democratic score.
ave are now free to put these
theories and factions into the waste
basket, and to write newer and brav-
.er platform builded upon the welfare
of the people and the necessities Of
the times.
In its nature and its mission the
Democratic party has been and must
be a reform party and a radical party.
IN the conditions which surround it
now this mission and method becomes
sthe price Of its popularity and the
necessity of it's life. We have always
failed, and will always fail, as party
of negation and party of opposition.
We have failed because we have been
,nnfaithful. We have failed because
we have trimmed and hesitated and
.:straddled. We have failed because
we have compromised with the appar-
emily successful doctrines of the Re-
spublican party and surrendered to
men whose interests and convictions
were SO nearly akin to our political
opponents that they ought, in common
honesty, to espouse the Republican
party to which they belong. We have
failed because in our political hunger
for success we have initiated the plat
forms and pandered to the powers Of
the opposite party that held the Gov
eminent. ... ......
The Democratic party has not won
in SO years national triumph upon
"A platform of hesitation, imitation,
apology or compromise. Every strad-
.diing makeshift Of the century has been
Irepudiated by the people at the polls,