Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-07-20
TIME ron THOUGHT.

o. nominations are all in. and especial
~ after the state conventions for nomi'
nation Of stale officers have been held.
the coming campaign promises 10 liz
more than usually one of enthusiasm
and hurrsh. Ther- will ie regiments
Of Republican Rough Riders. and
marching clubs aud stump oraiory and
iifes aud drums; martial arior will be
evolved for the hero Of San Juan hill.
aud the music Of the Union" Will b'
very much In evidence.
ON the other side. there will f.e aP-
peais in the name Of silver appeals TO
stand by Coiora.io's grand old man"
once niore-appeals To the reform
forces not To di.baId on the eve OF
what may be a glorious victory; there
will b- appeals also 10 the man In
stead Of the dollar aud every effort
will be made To evoke class disiinc-
tions. and to persuade the working men
and women TINT the party In power Ia
the friend Of trusts" and that deiiv-
cranee form crushing tyranny eau
only t,e had by voting ''asin the gov
ernmcnt.-
When those time. arrive. calm
thought win not be easy; pr~judic" aud
passion viii sway the minds Of many:
the full tide will L. running. and there
will bc small opportunity for reflection.
Now Is III. time. then. for the voter
To think over the political situation
with care and use whatever Of cool
Judgment he can muster: 10 weigh the
claims Of the two Er~a, partics-for
there arr but two: to weigh the per-
forsnanccs as well as the promises. the
character and records Of the candidates
as well rs their pr,scni ut'cranccs: and
To determine. sot-criy and with Q sense
Of the responsibility which rvsis On cv-
cry voter. whether the country. will bs'
better served for the next four yenrs
by the continuance Of the present nd.
minIsirntion. or by return TO power OF
the Democracy aud n complete change
In the national policy.
In weighing the claims OF the two
parties nnd their candidates, the plat.
forms, and perhaps silll morr. the ut.
tcranccs Of the candidates. must b.
taken into considerations: hut the Issue
Is no, on words alone. Mr. Mckinley
says: Look mt whn, We have donc:"
Mr. Bryan says: Look nt what We
promise TO do Mr.. Mckinley IL In
complete accord with his party, and
We know from what has bsrn done In
the past four years. we know from
what the Republican party has done
for the past forty years. Just what Its
policy will bc: and we know from what
IL says In Its platform and by the ut
tcranccs OF Its candidates. what II will
do when the responsibility Of govern.
ment is entrusted to II.
On the other hand. Mr.. Bryan. abso-
iutciy rs he seemed TO dominate the
Democratic convention. is not In COM
plc,c accord with those leaders Of his
party who have the most influence In
the largest states. Further. we must
necessarily judge n party by what II
has done when II Inns been In power:
and the last time the Democracy wns
In power. during the second term OF
Grover Cleveland, 1t showed itself ut
tcrly unable to carry out the promises
mud the policies outlined In Its plat
form, md 1t made record which mt
the next succeeding national conven-
tion OF the party It was obliged TO re-
pudiatc In order to have any chance OF
success ut the polls.
Have we any reason to suppose that
the Democratic party has changed Its
character as whole-tbat 1t has grown
more capable, wiser, more efficient, In
the four years last past? Is there any
reason to suppose that It's record, II
put into power, would be essentially
different for the years 1901 to 1905,
from what 1t was IL the years 1893 to
1897?
These are few OF the considerations
that thinking men and women in Colo.
RADIO will do well to turn over in their
minds before the heat Of the campaign
is fully on. II they do think these
things over. we do not believe they
will make up their minds that this is
good time to change n national ad-
ministration which has brought pros
perity Mt home and prestige abroad,
nor good time to put into power n
party which, whatever Its promises
may be, has never failed for half a
century to bring disaster at home. and
has sometimes brought anything but
honor abroad.