Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1898-04-09
EDITORIAL.


How?
Public taxation is necessary incident to
all government, and the farmer will uncom-
plainingly contribute his share, where the
burden rests fairly and equitably upon all.
But his duty does not end with the payment
OF the tax. He is equally responsible for its
expenditure.
The treasury would be overlooking if your
agents would not let the money run out as
fast as it flows in. If you do not want your
share of the public burden of taxation to be
frttered away in useless expenditure, eX-
orbitant appropriation or aimless expense of
investigating committees, whose purpose is
to obscure or conceal the TRUTH it is your
fault if you do not stop it.
Ify your capitol building should be destroy
ed by fire and could be rebuilt with the eX-
penditure of half million dollars, you
should not be taxed millions on millions to
aid snbterfuge or a delusion which might
only enrich some favorate architect or build
ing contractor and compel you to give a
share of your wheat and corn. oats and
potatoes to those who have no call upon your
bounty, sympathy or your patriotism. You
had better rise in your might and drive from
place and power those who misrepresent you
and YOUR interests Cor Hastings, of Penn
sylvana.
Well stated, but how are the people
to rise in their might under the
current primary and convention sys-
TEN, ruled absolutely, as it is, by the
imperial shibboleth of "regularity ?"
What encouragement have the peo-
Pile en- mosse 10 break party ties for the
popular good when the fraction that
does incurs the misrepresentation
abuse and detraction of those who
blindly remain joined to their idols
But here in Maryland, segment of
democratic citizenship, large enough
to be rightly esteemed "the balance of
power" still standing on State plat
form as old in all Its parts as democracy
itself, is the target for all the epithets
the malign ingenuity of party apostasy
can invent. These people ''arose in
their might" to martyrdom-a penalty
that a democratic regard for individual
right, the foundation of all rights,
ought to make inconceivable. They
drove from place and power those
who misrepresented them and their in
terests,' yet they are vilfied as aliens
in the house of their fathers.
1t has thus come to pass that fidelity
to party precedes loyalty to country.
and that the welfare of the party is
paramount to II at of the people.
Hence, again we ask-how are the
people to rise in their might" and ac-
complish their emancipation from the
machine without overthr, wing "reg-
ularity," that god of party idolatry9
Cause and Effect.
Mr.. Bryan has enumerated nine
planks for the next democratic plat
form, as follows, the JOURNAL adding
the tenth
l, Opposition to gold monometalsm.
>, Free coinage at 16 to !.
3, Retention of the greenbacks.
1, Opposition to national banks.
5, Opposition to bond issues.
6, Income tax.
I, Abolition of trusts.
8, Opposition to government by injunc-
ton.
8, Arbitration of disputes between labor
and capital.
10, William j. Bryan.
Some paper, after analyzing these
propositions, says:
On the tariff he is, like his free-slver as
sociates who have recently appealed to the
public IN favor of fusion, absolutely silent.
But for the tariff the democracy
would not have won triumph since
the war.
But for the tariff William j. Bryan
would never have been heard of.
With parties and individuals, as with
nations, untimely decay and death are
sure to come to those who sap the
springs to which their life-currents owe
their rise.
Until the democratic party comes
back, therefore, to the only question
on which it can consistently go before
the people, it can never win another
victory.
Certainly not another that will not
at the same time shock and impair the
integrity of at least two vital principles