The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-04
ornamental en.erArises Boosting Itself the

ernmental enter rises. Boosting itself the
party of achievement of prosperity, Of
national success and well being, it kept
the control OF affairs until the failure and
undo!ng Of reconstruction gave the Demo
Gratis the votes Of the Southern States,
and in the North the reaction against
scc;!onaiism was followed by the reaction
agains. ce,itralisin. Tilden, in 1876.
owed his great popular ma5oriues chieny
TO the feeling In the North that the South
e,ners had been too harshly treated. Cleve-
land, in 1854, was elected chiefly as pro-
test against the undue Influence of bust.
ness interests in Washington. particularly
as exen. plificd In tariff legislation and In
the public record of his opponent. :"
To-day, In the opinion of the writer OF
this article, the Democratic party is, de-
spite its acceptance OF an unsound fnan-
CAL scheme, sun the party OF ind-vid-
ual liberty as opposed to the party OF
Capitalization, in which preferment is only
for party favorites. The men at the
beginning of the century. who dstrusted
the elder Adams. would, in Jackson's
men who believed Jackson's charges
against the national bank would, in our
day. cry out against Wall Street and the
Square mile in London, or 10 cons. der
the Democratic character in a more posi-
tive aspect. The men, who In the Virginia
and kentucky revolutions set forth their
faith in free speech and Their sense of
brotherhood with the aliens driven to
our shores would have helped in 1924
to overthrow King Caucus and set up the
American nominating convention instead
To-day the same men would look favor
ably upon the plan of choosing Senator'S
by a popular vote and might even attempt
to reconstruct the financial system Of the
world In accordance with the popular con-
ception of money. The dominant I'M
pulse of such Americans in their relation
of government is the spirit not merely
of liberty, but of liberty and equality.
Give every man chance is the way
they phrased their conception OF the JUS
tice that Is the health Of the State In
Jefersons time the chance they fought
for was a chance to vote and hold Office
whether they owned property or not
In Jac1sons time it was a chance to take
the initiative by naming candidates and
making platforms-privileSes until then
reserved to a few trained men at Wash
ington. Under AR. Bryan's leadership it
seems to mean not merely more political
power, but better Industrial opportunity les
and a larger share of the fruits Of pros
perity. So far as Organism is definite
programmed is contrary to many Demo-
crate precedents. It antagonizes many.
interests which have looked to the Demo-
cratic party for defense. But so far as i:
is j popular movement so far as it is
a matter of impulse, SO far as it reflects
character, it does not essentially differ
from any confessedly Democratic upr.s-
ing of the past. To resist these popular
movements may be a duty, but to despair
because of them Is apostasy to Democracy
itself.
On the other hand, the Republican party
is no more military, no more imperial site
than The Federalists were or the Wings,
but il is ready as they were ready to en-
p!oy the fttest available instrument for
whatever work. actual conditions. and
things done seem obv ously to demand.
and it is loath as they were loath to re-
linqush an unfinished task for fear of
remote disaster OF for reverence OF a
vague generality. That party is never
lacking in the craftsmanship of the winds
and tides; the statesmansh OF the COM
pass and the stars is more apt to be
Democratic.
"a citizen so minded to use his vote
will be governed in his conscientious, pa
triotic trimming by consideration not
merely OF the men and the questions up
permost for the time being, but also Of
those permanent characteristics Of the
two parties which a longer view discloses.
He will support the strong government
party when he must, the free government
party when he dares. In time of peril
from without ne Will naturally look to the
party which is readiest in emergencies.
When there is merely difficult work to
do, he will again look to the party which
is intelligently led and which includes SO
large a proportion Of successful Americans
in its membership. In fine he will be wise
10 choose that party on all questions of
immediate eXpediency. But whenever the
essential character Of the Republic is tru-
~ involved. when the question Is OF ten
denotes rather than conditions of ideas
rather than things he will oftener turn
10 the teachings of Jefferson; when there
is need of tearing down and building again
he will invoke the spirit of Andrew Jack
son. For there be two Jim, two slaves
of the lamp that serve the Republic. One.
the nimhler and the more intelligent. is
best employed in the care of its material
Interests. its bodily welfare. The other.
turbulent, huge and mighty demon. guards
with ferocious jealousy the two-fold lib
erty which is its SOUL