Year: 1874

ILLINOIS POLI1ICS.


No doubt ex-GOv. Palmer OF Illinois ex-
pressed the convictions of large body OF
voters who have hitherto acted with the Re
publican party, in the searching criticisms OF
the management of that party contained in
his letter to the Secretary of the Illinois Dem
ocratic State Committee, which was published
yesterday. They may not all have reached his
final conclusion that the party "wlil never
"again submit to the country an honest, frank,
"and well-detned platform of principles"
There is still a lingering hope in the minds of
many that the party which had for the first
years of its history such an honorable record
will shake itself free from the corrupt men
who control it, and again assert itself grandly
for the right. In this hope partly, and partly
through fear that any other party would adj
minister affairs more recklessly and dishon-
estly still, they have held on in half-hearted
and thoroughly disgusted way to their old
political associations. Gov. Palmer himself
has clung to the Organization so long as there
seemed to him to be the shadow of a hope for
what is called performing it from the inside
He is a strong, experienced, honest, able man,
and his abandonment of that hope. and his
vigorous denuncatiOD of the sins and short
comings of the party in power, cannot fail to
have a positive effect upon large numbers in
the party whose sentiments coincide with his.


1t is undoubtedly true that everything Ike
craftsmanship is by sort of tacit agreement
among the leaders understood to be non
essential, and it is in just this flabby cOnd-
ton of politics that Gov. Palmer recognizes
one of the difficulties of the sitution. With
nothing positive in the policy of the party in
power, there is great difficulty in finding a
basis upon which all who are opposed to 1t
can cooperate. Yet Gov. Palmer indicates i'll
a few sentences a very distinct and substan
tal basis of opposition, and the Committee to
whom the letter was addressed very wisely
adopted his suggestions in preparing their call
for State Convention. The topics on which
an opposition party is called upon to announce
opinions and formulate policy are not many
or complicated. OF these obviously the fnan-
cial question is chief, and the simplest phase
of it, to wit resumption, the most important.
In Gov. Palmer's judgment there Is but one
way to accomplish the end desired by the
opponents of the present nO-policy policy of
the party in power, and that is "tO go before
O. the country upon declaration of principles
L" that shall be frank, unevasive and true, and
(which shall by its plainness carry the proof
"With which it is presented" Such plat
form in these days of platform platltudes' OF
pointing with pride to the record of the past,
of meauing gess rhetoric and ambiguous state
ments of windiness and gush, it must be con-
fessed, would be somewhat refreshing. The
Illinois Democratic State Committee had the
wit to see this and have sounded the key note
of it in their call.


Whether the Convention, when it assemblies,
will be as wise as the Committee, is quite
another question. In their announcement OF
the purposes to be promoted by the Conven-
ton, the Committee give no uncertain sound.
Especially distinct and emphatic is its utter
ance in favor of the restoration OF gold and
IS silver as the basis of the currency of the
Country, the speedy resumption OF specie
"payment, and the payment OF all National
Indebtedness in the money recognized by the
"civilized world" There Is no jingle OF use
less words in this statement, nor anything
that can be miscOnStrued or misunderstood.
Unlike the empty stuff on this subject which
many of the political conventions at the West
have put in the shape of solemn resolves, 1t
| makes IN issue clean cut, distinct, PLAIN
| There is no mistaking it, With regard to
the second proposition, Free Commerce,
we still hold to the belief that the Issue Is moi
at present practical, and that i'll the evident
impossibllty of drawing party lines through
out the country upon the issue of Free
Trade, the policy adopted at Cincinnati
relocating the whole question to the people
of the Congressional Districts, was emi
nently wise. 1t was the only honest Of
consistent utterance any National party has
made on the subject for years. The other pur-
noses embraced in the call, the restriction
of Government to the legitimate domain o.
political power, opposition TO land grants, anc
protection from chartered mon0polies, art
well stated The call is one which will com
mand respect, and the Convention, If 1T follow
the line of policy indicated by the Committee
adopting such a platform as Gov. Palme
recommends embodying declaration OF prin
ciples frank, unevasive, and true, will accom-
plish one good purpose at least In clearing