Year: 1874

tribute of tardy honor to the goodness they
aligned and the wisdom they derided.


THE DEMOCRATIC FINANCIAL POLICY.


The Democratic party comes into power in
one branch of the Federal Legislature by the
results of the late elections. As has already
been shown repeatedly, and, we believe, no.
where denied, it has reached this cOnsumma-
ton not through any love the people have for
the party, or through any positive principles
or policy of its own. The elections have
shown the weakness of the dominant party.
not the strength of the opposition. 1t is the
present and immediate business of the Oppo-
sition to formulate its policy for the future;
policy not merely of hostility to misrule. ex-
travagance and corruption, but of positive de-
clarations, of construction instead of Obstruc-
ton, of affirmations instead of negations.
And they must not merely formulate it, but
must organize thoroughly and effectively under
it and act upon it. 1t is vastly easier to in
Weigh against the existing Administration
than to administer moro wisely; easier to
critcise than construct, to pull down than to
build up.


The elections just held give the Democrats
glimmer of possibility of a return to power.
If there be wisdom, discretion. craftsmanship
in the management and leadership of the party,
there will be no time lost in the adoption OF
measures by which it shall become ConsOli-
dated and strong. The errors and worse than
errors of the party in power are before them
for instruction and warning. They may see
very clearly the causes OF that partys over
throw They will be guilty of the most stu
pendous folly if they do not heed the warning
and bend their highest energies and best en-
deavor to avoid its fate. They cannot afford
to wait until they come into possession before
defining absolutely their policy and erecting
their tests of political orthodoxy. There must be
no more fooling with Credit Mobilier specula-
tions by their representative men; no more
voting for Salary Grabs upon the puny pre-
text that the party in power is saddled with
the responsibility; no more such CHASTITY ex-
periments upon the patience of the people as
the nomination of Fernando Wood for Speaker;
and above all. no more trifing upon the sub
jects on which more than all others the people
look to them for wise and statesmanlike leg
islation. They come into power with the con-
ditions annexed to which they have heretofore
heartily consented, full acceptance OF the
results of the large contentious, now happily
ended, Of the past twenty years. They have
assailed the financial policy, or lack OF policy
of the Administration, and the people have
listened. The people now invite them to step
up anu 90 better.
That is tho question Of the immediate future.
Upon it the party that controls the next Con-
gress must, if it would retain confidence and
continue in power, have a single purpose and
determined front. There must be no
nonsense about tolerating differences of
opinion in the party on that question. for that
is the one question upon which it must be
unit. They must settle this at the outset. 1t
may cost some disagreeable surgery, but the
men who have the responsibility of leadership
must establish test upon this question which
shall be so radical as to drive out and keep
out all classes of regulators and all forms of
reputation, so that an Initiation Democrat
will be in the next Congress as absurd
paradox as Pro-Slavery Republican would
have been in 1856 1t seems hardly worth the
while to point this out. 1t almost says itself.
For surely no party can thrive in power upon
| its hostility to the measures or policy of its
opponents; it must have a policy 6f its own
| to commend it. 1t does not need to be de-
mOnstrated that the financial question is the
absorbing issue and almost the only one, and
that this is the subject upon which it must
speak out with no uncertainty or evasion.


The experience of the Administration party,
with its hard money platforms, and its Buffers
and MOrtons and Carpenters and LoQans and
other infationists as leading statesmen, is
sufficient to show the dangers of that kind of
liberation. The people will have none of it.
Horatio Seymour, in his Brooklyn speech last
week, fairly stated the position which the
party must occupy, not only here and there in
the States which happen to adopt such resou-
tions, but in all the States the country through.
Mr. Seymour said distinctly: upon the fnan-
"cal point the Democratic party of New-York
"gives notice to its political friends in other
Estates, and to its opponents here and else
"whcrc, that. as it fist demanded q good