The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-10-27
THE YOUNG MANS STAKE In
THE ELECTION.
From the Baltimore sun.

1 ltNthGul. anu IL IL w w i'IN' '''''N
they realize the full extent of their own
personal stake in the result.
In our Judgment there have been but
two national elections in the whole history
of the country which SO deeply concerned
the first voters, the young manhood OF the
nation, and meant SO much for their tu-
ture benefit or injury as the one now fast
approaching Those two occasions were
the election of 1900, when Thomas Jetter
son was first chosen President and the
election of 1860 when Abraham Lincoln
was elected
If in 1900 Thomas Jefferson had been
defeated it Is quite probable that the issue
of imperialism would not now be awaiting
settlement. All the ariStocratic and anti
Democratic elements of the country would
have triumphed in the defeat of Jefferson
one hundred years ago would have gained
such ascendency as would have enabled
! them To create a strong centralized GOV.
ernment based on wealth and class prlvi-
lege The contest between Jefferson and
Adams was in its essence a decisive con
fct between government by the masses
and government by the classes, 1t deter
mined that issue, for quarter of a cen
turv at least, in favor of the many aud
| AGAINST the few The mass of Young men
Of 1900 saw plainly that jefferson cause
was theirs that if they We're to have an
equal chance with the sons of the men
who by virtue Of larger wealth and social
prestige. aimed through the Federaist
party To- control the Government and run
/ 1t IA their own interest, they must vote
| for the great statesman whose election
meant that the government should remain
republican in fact as well as in form and
name
The second great national election in
which the young men just come of age
Y had an enormous personal stake was that
Of 1860 The catastrophe Of civil war
was the immediate sequence of that mem
orahle contest and it was upon the yonng
I men of bath sections that the awful sacri-
fees Of that fearful strife fell with great
7 e>t severity.
The present campaign /, another pivotal
I event in our political history. The Young
/ men who are shortly going Ia cast their
I first Presidential ballots are. whether they
are fully conscious Of il or not, the voters
! who will have m,Nt cause ia the wear,
/ ahead to hook hack At the result with pro
[ found thank fulut>s or keen regret Ii /,
a parting q the WAYS Tor them Old men
are passing uH the stage aud the full
/ fruits If the verde, To- be rendered AT the
( Iolls next month viii uof lee gathered in
their time Il Is to the Young men. with
their lives all before them and the hard
I problem Of how 10 realize their hopes and
ambitions to solve. that the election of
! Mr. Mckinley or Mr. Bryan Is Of the
Z graveSt moment
Between the party of imperialism and
the trusts and the party Of human liberty
and equality Of rights and opportunities il is
Z for our Young men 60 choose. And az
/ they make their choice they viii have 20
/ reap the consequences These of them
who understand the history Of their own
cuautry and the principles on which their
I forrtalher> founded It's government cannot
( tail 10 see that if they vote To rec elect Mr.
/ Mckinley. and thereby ratiry his policy
in the PHILIPPINES and Porto Rico, they
\ viii vote Ia nullify the Constitution and
commit the coming generation TO a pro
/ gram Of conquest. colonization aud annex
alton in quarters Of the globe far distant
/ from our own shores And they are
\ themselves the coming generation
That policy Is not the policy Of their
fathers it Is the policy which all the
greatest men Of both parties have for one
hundred years warned u against adopting
| II is a policy utterly alien TO the old Amer
\ lean spirit Il denies all the teachings Of
our history It spurns the eounselS of
/ Washington. jefferson, Clay, Webster and
| Lincoln. each aud all Of whom ahiurcd Us
To love liberty and justice, to cultivate the
| friendship Of al nations, 70 give our sym
I pathy to every people struggling TO be free
and Ia oppress none and, above all things,
/ 10 be- content To preserve our own Freedom
and enlarge it. boundaries on soil contisu
ous Ia our own. and never, under any
temptation, permit ourselye, to be drawn
into the affairs of foreign nations
An these maximS, which have served
As the guiding stars Of our foreign policy.
aud which until Mr. Mckinley advent
enabled ~ to maintain ourselves as the one
great nation which, with the smallest
standing army and navy, was nevertheless
the enc most secure against armed attack.
are 10 be cast aside if Mr. Mckinley :
new program of Asiatic adventure aud
European ENHANCEMENT Is confirmed by
the people Aud it Is the young men,
the inst voters of 1900, who will live to
rue the day that was done, if 1t is done.
They are the men who in the years that
are coming, if imperialism Is to prevail,
will have to bow their ueckS 10 the yoke
of military and naval expenditures as huge
as those that exhaust the energies and
and crush the liberties of the great impe
rial fighting nations of Europe And it is
| they. and their sons after them, who will
have to answer the call of the Government
/ for troops for foreign service in increasing
numbers: for while 100, 600 may do just
at present, 500, 600 may easily be wanted
as our new Asiatic and European enter
pri>es are developed The blood tax and
the money tax both will have to be borne
| by the voters who are now going to the
| ballot box as young men. If they vote
for Mr. Mr.. Mckinley now they must be
prepared to pay for the inevitable series Of
! foreign war dances to which his policies
will surely lead US.
| And what of the first voters and the
| trust issue? Does not that come home to
/ every young man as a matter that CON
Germs him more closely and vitality than 1t
does any man of mature age? twill take
some time for the trusts to completely cor
raj every branch Of industry and trade.
They have made startling progress in that
direction already but they are not yet
completely masters Of every line of bust
ness in which honest young men may hope
by individual industry and perseverance to
acquire a competence and become employ
ers instead of employees. All the avenues
| of advancement are not yet barred against
young men But they will be if Mr. Me
! knley is reelected with another trust
serving Republican Congress Let the
,,o,,,,r, ,,an with his first ballot IN his hand