Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-26
WHY VICTORY is OURS.

ROBERT KoEHLER,
City Clerk.


The presidential election will not take
place for two months, and the serious
work of the campaign is hardly more than
begun, but the result may be readily fore
told.
The difference between the inherent
motives of the Democratic and Republi-
can parties is irreconcilable. The Repub-
lican party is the embodiment of the pur-
poses of Alexander Hamilton, the aristo
crat, as opposed TO the principles of
Thomas Jefferson, the democrat.
The tendency OF the Republican party
is toward class rule. Capitalization and
monopoly Under its rule special priv
ileges have been granted to the few at the
expense of the many. 1t is the defender
of trusts" and the creator of the system
of taxing the people for the purpose
of enrlching corporations or iudi-
viduals 1t assumes through its rep
resentatives in the legislatures to
regulate the habits and to restrict the
personal liberties of the citizen. 1t de-
clares that the great masses of the people
are unfit to govern themselves and inca
pable of regulating their own affairs, and
it, therefore, and Upon that ground, re-
fuses the right of local self government
to towns and cities. In a word, the Re
publican party is the enemy of popular
government
The Democratic party, on the other
hand, embodies the principle of govern
ment OF the people, by the people, for the
people. Its tendency is toward decentral-
ization. 1t desires to refer all questions
to the popular will. and to enable the
people to regulate their local affairs in
their own way. 1t abhors privileged
classes and demands that all the affairs
of government shall be regulated with
the purpose to secure the greatest good
for the greatest number In a word, the
Democratic party is the friend of popular
government.
The great majority of the people are
| Democrats in principle, and have been
from the first. Issues have arisen chang
| ing the positions and relative strength OF
| parties, but the principle of Democracy
| has never waned. The agitation growing
| out Of the slavery question gave ascend
ency to the Republican party, and it was
sustained during the war by a large pro
portion OF the same men who are now
supporting Grover Cleveland.
The popular vote cast twelve years age
for Tiden showed that the great majority
of the people were Democrats and opposed
to the principles and methods of the Re
publican party. Again, eight years ago
the Democratic candidates had majority
of the popular vote. Had it not been FOL
the conservative apprehension Of thos,
who feared achange and pictured to them
selves the dire consequences of an imagi
nary mad rush of famished office seeker
for places under a new administration
that vote would have been much greater
Four years later the change came, bu
the mad rush did not The anticipated
upheaval and disturbance did not materi
alize. On the contrary, the government
has never been more satisfactorily or NOR
economically administered. The peopl
know that Grover Cleveland Is conduct
ing their affairs solely in their interest
They know that under Democratic admin
istration business principles. economy an
official integrity are enforced In every de
partment of the government, and the
are satisfied The conservative citize
who fears the consequences Of q change
now on the side of the Democratic party
, In other words, the Democratic part
was largely in the majority when
elected Cleveland, and since then, becaus
of the popular approval Of his admin:
tration, it has made great gains, and Ii
therefore, correspondingly stronger tina
it was four years ago.-New York Star.