The leader., 1900-05-30

whether this nation shall endeavor to
lead dual life-half empire and half
republic. IL remains to be determined
whether the multi millionaires shall
continue to maintain an Alsatia where
the tax .gatherer can never come, even
though the government be engaged in
duel to the death with some rival
power. II rests with the electorate to
say whether our financial policy shall
continue to be shaped on foreign
courses, while the masterful financiers
of Wall Street tighten their grip on
the fruits of toll, through the delega-
ton of the sovereign power to emit
bills of credit. Above all, the trusts
are now on trial at the bar of conscience
and reason, and the common carriers
of the land are about to be called in
warranty. AS matters now stand, the
corporate principle is abused in the
most shameless way, and all legitimate
industries are taxed, in order that
much may be given to those who have
already too much. On this point the
Democracy of Nebraska speak in no
uncertain tones, when they say: 1--WE
further believe that Congress should
supplement these efforts of the State
by legislation which shall require
every corporation, before engaging in
interstate business, to show that it has
no water i'll its stock, and that it has
neither attempted in the past nor is
attempting to monopolize any branch
of business or the production of any
article of merchandise" There can
not be the slightest doubt that an in
telligent system of Federal license of
corporations doing an interstate bus
mess would effectually buttress the
power of the State to deal with the
everweening representatives of feud-
Congress should exercise it's undoubt-
ed authority in this direction, New
Jersey would no longer be the nursing
mother of trusts, and the henchmen of
monopoly would quickly find that they
could no longer rest beneath the aegis
of the law, while they violate the fun
damentals of Jurisprudence by exploit
ing the ethics of the footpad on the
! highways of commercial life.
To him who is unable or unwilling
to penetrate beneath the surface of
passing events, the doctrines of the
Democracy may seem to be the mere
rawlings of political dreamers; but, as a
matter of fact, there is no place for the
prophet of smooth things, when shall
low pated theorists are glibly talking
about the maintenance of a transma-
rine empire through the exercise of
proconsular power, and overgrown cor
porations like the Standard Oil Com
pany and the Carnegie Steel Company
are annually distributing to their share
holders the princely revenues which
have been wrung from the necessities
of the toilers. At such a moment, talk
of compromise is a mere attempt to
commingle oil and water. Cowardice
never yet made parties great, nor will
ever keep them 50.
1t is to be hoped that we Shall hear
less and less of the suggestion that
the Democratic party may bear away
the palm of victory, through the aban-
Comment of its leader and it's princi-
pies. Success at such cost would
not be worth the having. If the gov
eminent is to be administered along
the Republican lines, the reins of
power should be entrusted to the Re
publican hands. Free institutions are
only to be worked on condition that
there shall be two parties in the State,
each representing the clear-cut con-
victions of its adherents. The rest
should be left to the patriotism and
common sense of the millions who
breathe into the outward forms of pol
ity their soulful purpose. Let the
trimmers, then, hold their peace, while
men of finer fibre resolve the over
shadowing problems of the day, from
the lofty vantage ground of justice and
truth. Even though the deep shadow
of defeat fall, for time. upon the
! II L. 4