The Somerset reporter., 1896-08-13

nigh to for whatever is to be- left to us of
sound government, commercial success
and business prosperity
On that we were all agreed, some of US
who were Democrats regretfully, for We
all hate to be classed with the llnsuceess-
full whose condemnation Is at hand, even
If we gain by the change; others of us who
were Republicans cheerfuly, but without
exultaton, for we know how hard the task
must be to rebuild out of the ruins Of tho
last four years the stately mansions of ma.
tional happiness prosperity and self re-
spect wherein our people lived until that
unfortunate election of 1892
The Silver Mushroom.
Two months have slipped away-hardly
time to ripen n strawberry, much less u
system of fnance-and there are those who
tell liz that all things have changed, that
those very men who were being arrayed
for decent burial had burst the cerements
+ Of the grave and, TRANSPORTED by some
new arrangement of crowns of thorns and
crosses of gold, were to lead us to a new
happiness and even repair all the damage
! they themselves had wrought
Now, this may he so, but to me 1t does
not seem probable Human experience
In every walk Of life teaches us that those
who have Numbered will blunder again,
and that the wisest course 10 not to employ
ship captain who has not yet emerged
from his last shipwreck, but the safe sail
or who has never lost a ship, passenger
or letter, but who has sailed safe through
every sea.
He may have lost masts and sails and
even been rudderless for hours, but If he
has every time come safe to shore better
have him than all the landsmen who are
forever shouting what they can do and
never dare to tell what they have done
Boosters are worth nothing Deeds are
facts and are for ever and ever. Talk dies
on the empty air. Better q pound of per-
formanoe than a shipload of language.
But Is it wise or just to class all Demo
Gratis together and to declare them all
wrong, then announce they must be beat
en- because they are Democrats? That
would be very unwise, very unjust and
senseless altogether. 1t would fout all
history, and especially our own. Parties
are one thing their Individual members
may be another. Parties seldom follow
their best men. They follow their average
sense
In real action there can never be but
two parties--the creating party and the re-
tarding party The progressive party may
be unwise in its progress. and the retard-
ing party may be unwise in It's conserva-
ism but both serve a good purpose, and
between them both the world slowly and
safely moves ahead, dreadfully slowly
sometimes, but 1t does always move ahead
Perhaps some one will say here we have
creative party which has sprung up In a
night, like n mushroom, and created new
system OF finance. Ny friends you will
find that shat mushroom is not good to
eat, and thas that progress will band you
In the ditch Now. all progress avoids
bitches
have said that 1t would be unwise, I'M
just and se1.4cless to confound the Demo.
cratic organization with individual Demo
Gratis. have said also that that would be
houting part of our own history, and q
glorious part of our history too Why, 1t
is within the memory of third and par
haps half of this very audience which
listens TO me that when the terrible war of
the rebellion broke forth tens of thousands
of Democrats, politicians, strong party