that the Democratic party has all the
bad; though I may say that each party comes pretty near it. I
admit that there are thousands of really good fellows in the
Democratic party, and there are some pretty bad people in the
Republican party. But I honestly believe that within the latter
are most of the progressive men of this country. That party has
in it the elements of growth. It is full of hope. It anticipates.
The Democratic party remembers. It is always talking about the
past. It is the possessor of a vast amount of political rubbish,
and I really believe it has outlived its usefulness. I firmly
believe that your editor, Mr. Hutchings, could start a better
organization, if he would only turn his attention to it. Just
think for a moment of the number you could get rid of by starting
a new party. A hundred names will probably suggest themselves to
any intelligent Democrat, the loss of which would almost insure
success. Some one has said that a tailor in Boston made a fortune
by advertising that he did not cut the breeches of Webster's statue.
A new party by advertising that certain men would not belong to
it, would have an advantage in the next race.

_Question_. What, in your opinion, were the causes which led to
the Democratic defeat?

_Answer_. I think the nomination of English was exceedingly
unfortunate. Indiana, being an October State, the best man in that
State should have been nominated either for President or Vice-
President. Personally, I know nothing of Mr. English, but I have
the right to say that he was exceedingly unpopular. That was
mistake number one. Mistake number two was putting a plank in the
platform insisting upon a tariff for revenue only. That little
word "only" was one of the most frightful mistakes ever made by a
political party. That little word "only" was a millstone around
the neck of the entire campaign. The third mistake was Hancock's
definition of the tariff. It was exceedingly unfortunate, exceedingly
laughable, and came just in the nick of time. The fourth mistake
was the speech of Wade Hampton, I mean the speech that the Republican
papers claim he made. Of course I do not know, personally, whether
it was made or not. If made, it was a great mistake. Mistake
number five was made in Alabama, where they refused to allow a
Greenbacker to express his opinion. That lost the Democrats enough
Greenbackers to turn the scale in Maine, and enough in Indiana to
chan