The Forrest City times., 1899-08-04
DEMOCRACY ALL RIGHT.
The situation In Georgia Is Typieai of That Bn All Democrat
 ic States.

Congressman James NJ. Griggs, or Georgia. while in Washington was asked to contribute something to the Posts bureau of political information. This the Georgia congressman very readily consented to do, and in terms brief and terse. and yet admirably clear he pro- sceded to set forth the political situa- ton in Georgia, which, making due al- lowance for local conditions, is the sit nation in all the naturally democratic states. Congressman Griggs informed the Posts reporter that Mir. Bryan will have solid delegation from Georgia at the next national convention; that the distinguished democratic leader is as popular in Georgia in 1899 as he was in 1896, and that he is held in the same high esteem all over the south; that there is small likelihood of the presen- tation of any other name to the con- vention, and that the Chicago platform will be reaffirmed and additional blanks condemnatory of trusts added. To this the Georgia congressman added the statement that. while it is entirely too soon to make any predictions as to the result of the next presidential struggle. he does not regard the prospect as ad- verse 10 the democratic party. "On the contrary" he declared, there is good ground for believing that the party will succeed. With leader like Bryan. and confident of being on the right side of all the great questions of the day, with sixteen to one the leading issue, the democracy was never in better shape to prosecute vigorous campaign Now, that is the kind of talk we like to see democrats indulge in, says the At lauta Constitution. It has the right ring, and, moreover, has the advantage of being true. There are a few pessi- mistic democrats to be found willing enough to take off their coats and get down to business whenever they are called on, but are temporarily over awed by the praying of brass bands and the successes of the money power, as shown in the formation of trusts. To doubt the success of democratic doc trines is to doubt the capacity of the people to govern themselves. They may, at some time or other. reach the point where they will succumb to the power and influence of money combi- nations. This is possible. but not prob able; and until this surrender is def nitely and formally made the demo- cratic party, representing the true in- terests of the people, will always have good prospect of success. We agree with Congressman Griggs that there is no good ground for believing that the party will succeed in the next cam paign. It cannot be possible that the aggressive movements in the direction of centralization-mov which enbody all the most vicious forms of attacks on the peoples interests-are to go unrebuked. It cannot be possible that the voters are to permit themselves to be misled into following false lead CTS and indorsing false issues. MT. Bryan, in his speech at the banquet given in his honor by Atlanta demo- crats, declared the truth when he said that the democratic party is nearer the principles of Thomas Jefferson to-day than it has been since it's organization. And he uttered another great truth when he said that the Chicago platform Is the platform of the voters, and not of the leaders. We are willing to admit that the campaign of next year will put the principles of Thomas Jefferson to the test of their popularity in this couu- try. We have, as it were, reached an other crisis in the history of this gov ernment, and the people arc to be called on to choose between the principles of democracy and the doctrines on which centralized plutocratic government is based. The issues are to be more clearly defined in 1900 than they were in 1896, and the voter who can be de- ceived as to his duty toward himself and his neighbors does not deserve to enjoy the blessings of democratic gov ernment. We have had such crises in our history before, as all students know. but at the proper time, at the appointed moment, the people have all ways given verdict in their own favor, and against the allied and plntocratic interests of the money power.