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The Commoner.
Voi. 2, No. 35.
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', FORUM OF THE WEEKLY PRESS H
1 i I
Bardstown (Ky.) Record: If Grover
Olovoland" ia permitted to reorganize
tho domocratic party, wo would sug
goBt that tho democrats nomlnato
Mark Hanna for prcsidont.
1 San Francisco Star: "Ono republi
can party is enough," said Govornor
Altgold. Not for tho rcorganizors."
Thoy want two. But they cannot suc
ceed in thoir plans to ropublicanizo
tho democracy.
Red Wing (Minn.) Argus: No man
has banished and no man could decree
banishment of Grovor Cleveland or
any lessor member of tho party. Tho
door ihrough which cortain members
wont of thoir own accord stands opon
always.
Senoca (Kas.) Courier-Democrat:
Reciprocity has boon great for repub
licans to conjuro with, but this is as
far as it goes. Tho people would just
as woll learn first as last that no
reciprocity bill of any importance will
ever bo passed by protectionists.
Pipestone (Minn.) Leader: When
such men as Grovor Cleveland and
David B. Hill talk about bringing tho
democratic party back to its first prin
ciples, it is an indirect indorsement of
Mark Hanna's "let well enough alone"
theory. Clevelandism, HlUIsm, and
Hannaism are synonymous terms.
Pohn Yan (Ni Y.) Democrat: Sen
ator Tillman's assertion that his col
league, McLaurln, had sold bis dem
ocratic birthright for a moss of pot
tage, may not have been demonstrat
ively true at tho tlmo Tillman made
it, but McLaurin's appointment to the
court of claims bench makes it true
now.
Wilmington (Ohio) Democrat: The
reorganized element is largely com
posed of men who aro discredited by
tho domocratic party because they
have betrayed it In the' past men who
have no use for the party excopt as
a medium for exploiting themselves,
or as a vehicle upon which to ride
to ofllco.
Coldwater (Mich.) Star: Cleveland
and Hill have "harmonized," and
Cleveland has constructed a platform
for Hill to stand on. Being of tho
Cloveland mako you can bet your bot
tom dollar that there is a trap door
in it that will land tho candidates,
If sucessful, ker plunk in the midst
of Wall street.
Darlington (Wis.) Democrat: We re
gard' much of tho talk about reor
ganization among democrats as un
wise and as tending to stir up strife
"rather than to promote peace. The
Kansas City platform is tho last offi
cial pronouncement of tho democratic
party, and must stand as such until
another is made two years hence.
Glasgow (Ken.) Times: Mr. Clove
land threatens and bribes. "Ought wo
not to bo fed upon something better
than tho husks of defeat?" is not an
ennobling sentiment Falling from the
lips of an ex-president it is revolt'
ing. As well might Mr. Cleveland sajc,
"If you want ofllco ,you must abandon
your principles and betray your party.
Then you will feed on something bet
tor than tho husks of defeat."
Malad (Ind.) Advocato: And anyway,
if in order to win a victory, tho dem
ocratic party has to construct a plat
form that is acceptable to tho money
sharks and monopolies only; it i3
Just as woll off and will ultimately be
bonfltted as a result of defeat. '
Plattsburg (Mo.) Leader: Republi
can papers everywhere aro booming
Mr. Cleveland's speech, and solemnly
commending him to tho democrats. It
is natural to suppose that this Is in
return for his sorvloo and his affilia
tion with : -0 republicans. He helped
them to eight years of supremacy:
they ought to speak well of him.
Croto (Neb.) Democrat: If Hill and
Cloveland had been half as anxious
about harmony in 1890 and 1900 In
the democratic party all tho things
thoy complain about republicans do
ing, would nover have been done.
Neither of these men aro sincere.
Thoy vote for tho enemy when their
own party fails to do as thoy sug
gest. Anoka (Minn.) Free Press: It is
too early for Grover Cleveland to nn
plro to leadership, or even prominence,
In tho democrat party. Ho should
wait until tho passing of the present
generation, which remembers that Jt
was Grover Cleveland who during his
socond term dealt democracy the stun
ning blow, from which It is yet suf
fering. Johnston (N. Y.) Democrat: Wo
can not indorse, nor do wo believe
that loyal democrats anywhero can
appro vo'of the self-satisfied utterances
of Mr. Cleveland whoso professed re
turn to tho party fold after several
years of active hostility to Its leaders
and Its principles is signalized by a
haughty assurance of his continued
apostacy.
Ramsey (111.) News-Journal: What
tho republicans, who in their disor
ganized condition can't do to defeat
democracy they are calling their allies
tho "reorganizes" who so successfully
pulled them through in 189G and 1900,
to do. But democracy seems to be
sailing nicely through all these trou
bles and bids fairer than over to ovor
comoboth. Cellna (O.) Democrat: Tho Cleve
land-Hill Tllden club harmony meet
ing has tho unqualified indorsement of
overy republican and trust organ, in
tho country. Tho recommendations
will, however, havo no weight with
tho democrats who helped to furnish
the six millions and more of votes for
genuinely democratlo principles at
the last national election. ,,j,
Rochester (Ind.) Sentinol: Cleve
land, Hill and other democratic bolters
hold a 'harmony" meeting at a Tllden
club banquet in New York. Cleveland
and Hill aro for harmony If thoy can
have their way and if not they gay
nothing during campaign or vote the
republican ticket. If there aro 'two
democrats in tho United States who
ought to take on plenty of harmony
it Is Cleveland and Hill.
Batavia (Ohio) Sun: At the Tllden
club banquet, held in New York last
Thursday evening, Grover Cleveland
and David B. Hill made speeches
strongly pleading for domocratic unity.
Inasmuch as these two men are re
sponsible for tho lack of harmony in
tho party, it looks as though it ought
to bo brought about without seriouar
trouble. All that is necessary is for
them to fall into tho rear rank and
march with the procession.
Cadillac (Mich.) Democrat: Last
week Grover Cleveland and Davii
Bennett Hill came out from their re
tirement and each made "harmony"
speeches at tho Tilden banquet. Of
course, all the harmony they preached
was one-sided. Boiled down, it sim
ply meant that if democrats who have
always been democrats will foreswear
tho tenets of tho party and embraca
the new-fangled idea of changing
spots at every wave of tho wizard's
wand, that there is an opportunity
tor the democracy to regain both its
lost prestige and power.
Owensburg (Ky.) Messenger: Those
democrats who are so anxious to win
in the next national campaign that
they are willing to make any com
promise with the eastern element had
as well take into account that it is
more important not to dissatisfy the
west and south, where the certain
democratib votes are, than to satisfy
tho east; and thoy should also bear
in mind that the east is never satis
fied unless it gets all it contends for
It talks of "compromises," but it
makes none. It prates of "harmony,"
but it harmonizes with a club when
ever it gets its hand upon the club.
It pleads when it is in tho minority,
but it whips with a merciless lash
when it holds tho whip.
Bessemer (Ala.) Workman: We do
not feel in the humor to pull off our
coats or throw our hats in the air
just because the mouth of Cleveland
has been pried open and he has said
that the only chanco of success is
harmony, and that harmony can only
be secured by the majority admitting
they were all wrong and begging par
don for errors of tho past, and after
asking pardon of tho minority, como
back and let the same old crowd of
traitors run things to suit themselves.
Coshocton (Ohio) Democrat and
Standard: Wo have an abiding im
pression that it is not necessary to go
beyond tho sentiments and principles
declared by tho democratic masses
the folks in tho country and School
districts, in tho workshops and on
the farmsto find out what tho dem
ocracy of this country stands for to
day. Wo see no need of reorganiza
tion or any calls for a new departuro
in politics, either in the way of prin
ciples or organization. Tho eloquent
gontlemen wo havo lately heard from
aro prolific In good advice, but they
sholiTd take some of it themselves and
join, with the same earnestness and
hope they had when, candidates theirU
selves, in all logitlmato party worK
The democratic party of this country.,
is today a woll-oreanlzed forrra for
sound and well-understood principles.
Hastings (Neb.) Democrat: Mr.
Cleveland never once referred to tho
well known fact that his course while
president destroyed thd democratic
party. His administration was re
pudiated by the democratic party la
forty states in the' union, by the dem
ocratic national convention, and by.
the people generally. Mr. Cleveland
could havo mentioned many interest
ing things, but he neglected to do so.
Bonham (Tex.) News: If we can
have a real democratic platform and
a real democratic leader, let us go
down again in defeat, rather than
have a platform made in the interest
of a few, with a leader named by tho
beneficiaries of special privileges, and
thus march to success at the polls.
Harmony or no harmony, defeat or
success, let the party remain true to .
its principles and ultimately all must
be well.
Bonne Terre . (Mo.) Star: " That X
New York Tilden meeting will- go .
down in history as ono of the unique,
political events of a unique political
time. This meeting is especially ab- -surd
when it is remembered that -there
were over 750,000 more votes
pojled for Mr. Bryan in 1896, when. he
was defeated, than there were polled
for Mr. Cleveland in 1892, when Mr.
Cleveland was elected. Tho pie
hunting element in the democratic
party may be willing to sacrifice mat
ters of principle to a possibility of .'
winning, but the democratic voter
prefers to go down to defeat in a fight
for principle with standard bearers
who will stand for right when elect-
ed, rather than to the possibility of
electing men without fixed principles,
who will cater to organized greed ..
when they are elected.
Wichita (Kas.) Democrat: There
are doubtless millions of democrats
who believe that their party would bo
in power to2ay had it not been for
tho perfidy of Grover Cleveland. Whon
he took his seat in 1893 all conditions
were favorable to a speedy restoration .
to prosperity had not a panic been
made to order by John Sherman, Gro
ver Cleveland and their able assist
ants in a base conspiracy against the
people. As a leader ho has proven
himself to bo a fraud and a cheat. HIa
solicitudo for the welfare of the peo
ple is rank hypocrisy, and is the sarao
old song ho has sung even at tho
moment when he was in full con
spiracy to set monopoly and plutocra
cy with their feet upon tho necks
of the people. He confesses to no sin
and his face Is as resolutely set to
ward wrong as it ever was.
V
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