Amador ledger., 1900-08-24
THE P1TH OF PoL1TIds.
CR1 Arthur j. Pill,burxn

A certain country editor is in pre-"
dlcament and desires advice. Figura-
lively speaking he is astride of the top
rail of high fence with wild bull
raging on one side and an indignant
mastiff standing on the other. While
he is as safe as though he were in the
bosom of Abraham the elevated station
he occupies is not desirable as per-
manent status and he feels that he must
come down on one side or the other
sooner or later, but whenever he mani
tests a disposition to descend his ad-
vance is met by sullen indifference
that betokens strained relations. 1t
may be safe enough but it is not COM
Portable to be on the fence. Next to a
good lover the world loves good hater.
People who pride themselves or their
political independence generally have
not much else to take pride in. The
battle of life belongs to the man who
has decisive convictions and the man
who hasn't decisive convictions on such
issues as gold standard vs. free silver,
holding the Philippines until time shall
tell what we ought to do with them VS..
crawfishing out of them, the mainte-
nance of an army sufficient for the grow
ing requirements of growing country
VS.. reducing that army to the dignity Of
posse comitatus-the man who is so
independent as not to know what he
ought to do in this crisis is an unstable
equilibrium, carries his brains parted,
like his hair, in the middle and will
probably vote as directed by the last
man who has him in hand before he
casts his ballot Belong to something.
Take hold somewhere. Don't be p)-
itical eunuch
Speaking literally this uncertain edi-
tor is in favor of an income tax, but
does not think much of Bryan or his
party. He is opposed to a very high
protective tariff, but is delighted with
the way that President Mckinley avoid
ed provoking a war with Great Britain
over the difficulty in the Transvaal He
is opposed to trusts and the free coin
age of silver and believes in expansion
but does not want too much war. All
this gentleman lacks of being Repub-
can is a backbone. All that the Repub-
hcan party wants of protective tariff
is to have it high enough so that it will
protect and protective tariff that will
not protect is not a protective tariff.
The Republican party agrees with this
gentleman perfectly in being opposed
to trusts that strangle competition and
limit production. And the Republican
party not only does not want too much
war but it does not want any war at all.
The civil war was forced OH it, so was
the Spanish war and the war with the
Filippinos. 1t never provoked war
and never will, but while the Republi-
can party is in power no nation on the
earth can walk with impudent impunity
on the fiuttering coat tails of our chin
whiskered, star spangled gentleman
who wears striped trousers with the
straps. If in the interest of manful
rigidity our country editor will apply a
plaster cast to his spinal column he will
be eligible to wear Mckinley button,
descend from his uncomfortable perch
on the fence and take place in the
ranks of party of progress and among
men of action. If there are others like
him let them do so also.
By the way, Uncle Sam is the Re-
publican party and the Republican
party is Uncle Sam. The twain are
one flesh. The Republican party is the
party of achievement. 1t is made up
of men of action rather than of specu-
lation. It is made up of men who see
things rather than of men who dream
things. Because it is not emotional its
opponents charge it with being meterial-
istic, but it is not meterialistic because
it has faith in a national mission and
national destiny and leaves to God ra-
ther than to speculation the eventu-
alities of the unforeseen. When car
toonists come to depicting Uncle Sam sit
ting on a box whiting and whistling
the reader may know that there is dam
ger of his going Democratic. The Re-
publican party cherishes lofty ideals
without being sentimental 1t has en-.
thusiasin without going beside itself
1t marches steadily forward, but does
not go hunting for adventure 1t
crosses bridges when it comes to them,
is wide in its sympathies without being
lachrymose, looks upon the capitalist as
q needful factor in production rather
than as an enemy to society, and upon
the laborer as very real party i'll in
terest worthy of dignified considera-
ton rather than of demagogic demon
strations of idolatrous affection. For
more than generation the history of
the Republican party has been the his
tory of the country and when the Re-
publican party ceased to make history
so did the country. 1t is good party
to belong to and particularly commends
itself to those who live in this world to
be doing rather than to be merely stay
ing.
The political role the Examiner is play
ing is edifying if not very instructive. 1t
is making pretense Of supporting the
tripod ticket but finds itself unable to
support Organism. 1t stands for ex-
pansion, for vigorous foreign policy,
for the rehabilitation of the Ameri-
can merchant marine, extension of
commerce.. for leaving the finances
of the nation as they are and for
nothing whatever that Organism stands
for except Bryan, and it stands for
Bryan because it pretends to think that
the Republican administration is not
honest. Honest? Nv lord The fakish