The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-09-25
Is the Alliance pemooratlcp

It is often stated that the principles
of the Alliance are identical with those
Of unadulterated democracy, and YET
your simon-pure Democrats object to
our subtreasury plan and the govern
ment ownership Of railroads and tele-
graphs on the ground of unconstitution-
atty. interference with private enter
PRISE, Capitalization and paternalism.
There is something wrong here, and il
must be Strengthened out. We all ae-
cept the fundamental principle Of
Equal rights for all and special priv
ileges for none,' but when it comes to
the Interpretation Of that principle we
part company. Democracy is to mean,
free competition, fair field and no
favor, and then every man for himself
and the devil take the hindmost. Free
competition is the great principle Of
Anglo,Saxon development, and we have
all been nurtured on that principle
from our infancy, and yet it is clearly
responsible for the present distressing
inequalities of society. Under its
operation the strong ever become
stronger at the expense of the weak,
and the power Of money to Cypress is
supreme. This is not the intention
of Democracy. but it is its inevitable
result, notwithstanding 1t guarantees
to every citizen an equal right to COM
pete for the possession Of wealth, but it
is powerless to prevent the strong from
taking the share of the weak. Of what
value to me is my right to compete for
wealth, if the shrewder, stronger or
more cunning man may appropriate my
share? And yet, in the name of indi-
vidual rights, Democracy refuses to
protect me. And here is where the
Alliance parts company with Democ-
racy. 1t interprets "equal rights for
alr' to mean that every citizen shall
have an equal right to the full enjoy
ment of the fruits Of his labor, and
that the government shall protect him
IN that enjoyment against the schemes
of shrewder, stronger or more cunning
men, or combinations of men. The
producer shall not be robbed OF his
produce by the private manipulation Of
the currency to put down prices, by
freight determinations making shor,
hauls pay for long hsuls, or by his OWE
necessities compelling him to sell in ar
already glutted market. To compare
all the three parties now before the
country, We will here introduce Repub
hcanism. In the struggle for existence
which is ever present as stern reality
with a large majority of the people
Republicanism says: "Each man get
what he can, but we are especially
concerned in the few getting grea
deal, and by special privileges we vii
encourage them. The greatest glor,
Of a country consists in the numbe
and size Of its millionaires.' Democ
racy says: aNo fayors for any man, 0
class Of men, but if, as must be th,
case. the strong appropriate the shar
Of the weak, there is no help for it. Il
the name of Liberty, you must grin an,
bear it. We cannot interfere with Stat
rights, nor individual rights. You hav,
an equsl right to compete, to establish
national banks, to form trusts, or t
manage railroads, and if you cannot d
it, don't blame our glorious Democracy
There must always be some hindmost
or the devil would be out of a job, ant
don't forget that there is alweys plent,
of room at the top. The Alliance says
EVERY man shall have an equal RICH
to enjoy the full reward of his labor
and the government shall protect hin
against all schemes and combinations tt
defraud him Of that right. 1t matterl
not how it is to be done, or how many
preeonceiyed theories the doing of i
upsets. The matter is 10 do it." W,
assert that the Alliance Interpretation
Of ''equal rights most nearly fills th,
two fundamental functions of govern
ment--the protection OF life and prop
eriy. 1t protects life by providing fol
more equal distribution Of wealth
and therefore for more general en-
joyment of the health.giving comforts
Of life; and it protects property by
stopping the thieving now so rife
among the exploiting classes of society
who neither toll nor spin. and yei
Solomon in all his glory was not array
ed like one OF these. The Alliance is
more democratic than Democracy. We
can not go to them. but they may come
to us, and SO may the Republicans