THE ALLIANCE -IN DEPENDENT.
THE DEMOCRATIC MUDDLE.
To say that the democratic party is
completely in a muddle is to put it
mildly. What is to be its policy in the
coming campaign is something no man
can find out. On the silver question,
the party took its stand with the money
power at Chicago. Its platform was
made as nearly as possible like that of
the republicans, and both of them are
unmistakably against the free "coinage
of the present silver dollar. It nomin
ated the most pronounced gold standard
leader in the party for president. But
immediately on the heels of that con
vention, the Stewart free coinage bill
passed the senate with sixteen demo
crats voting for and only seven against
it. Now the bill will in all probability
come up in the houso with the prob
ability that two-thirds of the democrats
in that body will support it. But if it
should pass, Harrison will certainly
veto it. Then Cleveland and his
friends will be called on either to ap
prove or condemn that veto. There
can be little doubt that they will ap
prove it. They are compelled to. For
Mr. Cleveland to do otherwise would
be to violate every declaration he ever
made on that subjoct. Besides to con
demn Harrison for vetoing a free coin
age bill would blast all hope of demo
cratic success in the northeastern
states, and make every one of them
so 'id for Harrison. The only way out
of such a muddle is for the party to
entirely ignore the silver question dur
ing the campaign.
But this is not the worst of it. The
party U almost as hopelessly
muddled on the tariff question.
The platform committee at
Chicago reported a tariff plank almost
identical with that of the republicans,
one that fully endorses the doctrines of
protection, and assured the great tariff
robbers of the east that tho party
would not interfere with their vested
rights to continue robbing the people.
But when that plank fell on the ear of
Henry Watterson, ho rose in his might
and "smote it hip and thigh." A sub
stitute was reported which went right
down to constitutional bed rock in true
democratic fashion. It declared that it
is a "fundamental principle of tho dem
ocratic party that tho federal govern
ment has no constitutional power to
impose or collect tariff duties except
for the purpose of revenue only."
Mr. Watterson carried the conven
tion by a vote of about 5 to 3, and the
substitute was adopted. Nobody seems
to know whether this result was pleas,
ing to Mr. Cleveland or not. But cir
cumstances would indicate that it was
not. The committee's plank was report
ed and defended by Vilas, his man Fri
day, and the free trade substitute was
championed by Watterson, his most
determined opponent
The ptatform as amended goes to the
root of the matter by condemning the
principle of protection, hence it com
mits the party to opposition to all pro
tective duties, and doesn't even leave
room for "incidental protection." This
is the most radical free trade doctrine
ever enunciated by the democratic
parly.
The Chicago convention was followed
by an ominous silence of the great lead
ers and prgans of the party. But that
silence has been rudely broken. The
great protection democrats are
now takiDg their turn at the
smiting business, and they
are doing it quite as effectively as did
Watterson in the convention. The
New York Post-ExprcsJ tays that freo
trade plank was the one adopted "by the
southern confederacy, but was never "a
fundamental doctrine of the democratic
party." Then it goes on to quote
Andrew Jackson in a way that is utter
ly paralyzing to the "fundamental-principle-constitutional"
fellows. In
fact it shows from Jackson's second
annual mcssago that ho actually advo
cated and defended tho doctrino
of protection. In fact he
sav3 in his message that
his opinion is "confirmed by tho
opinions of Jefferson, Madison and
Monroe who have each repeatedly
recommended this right under the con
stitution," i. e., the right to levy pro-"
tcctive duties. Then tho Post-Express
gets right down to business and says
the democrats must do one of three
things: (1) Advocato tho entire aboli
tion of protection; (2) Ignore the tariff
issue; (3) Call a new convention, adopt
a new platform, and nominate a new
ticket. And it recommends ignoring
the tariff issue as the least of these
three evils.
And now comes the New York Sun,
tho great Tammany organ, and ap
proves and emphasizes what tho Post
Express says in an article headed:
"Nothing in the tariff question as a present
political issue." It refers to the tariff
plank as "deplorable and preposter
ous." The Sun says, however, that it
doesn't matter much since the tariff
question is "entirely over-shadowed,
dwarfed and obscured" by a mightier
issue: "No force bill!
No Negro domination in the South! f"
And so the confusion increases, and
the situation gets more muddled as the
days go by. It reminds one of tho small
boy's description of the world when
first created "Confused chaos."
But as tho politicians become more
and more confused, the minds of tho
peoplo become clearer. They see one
party in the field that stands for prin
ciple, and has the courage "of its con
victions!, and they are flocking to the
standard of tho people's party, tho true
party of Jefferson and Lincoln.
There is but one way out of tho pol
itical wilderness and that is tho way of
THE PEOPLE'S PARTY.
The people of England may admlro
nenry M. Stanley as a great explorer,
but they don't care to use him in tho
houso of commons.
ONCE a Lion felt sorry for a poor
little Lamb and to protect tho poor
little animal and its interests, swal
lowed it at one bite. That's about tho
manner in which the State Journal
protects the interests of the peoplo for
whom .it now professes to feel such a
fostering spirit.
"In spite o' this 'ere 'ot weather,
they're keeping good," said Superinten
dent Goudy to Mrs. Goudy, as ho stuck
his head out of tho cellar door up at
the state house after he had examined
his household goods, which ho has
stored in the people's building to keep
from paying rent in some storage
house. -
"Foil God's sake, quote lower rates
on apples," was a recent cry of tho rail
road to its tools oh tho state board of
transportation. "The people are de
manding railroad regulation. Tho
apple crop is a failure this year and
that picco of regulation may make
some votes. It will cost no money,
anyway."
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FURNITURE.
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111
HARDY
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211 SOUTH 11TH STREET,
Lincolri, r - r Nebraska,
