Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-07-05

repeating ltSeiI, ne VIII De elected IN
1900, reelected in 1904 and viii trans
NIT the government to long line of
successors of his political faith-our
political faith-the peoples political
faith-a consummation deyoutly to be
wished.
Candidate and Platform.
A great controversy is raging among
certain sapient editors as to which has
the more farreaching influence in car
rying presidential election, the candi-
date or the platform. Nobody can tell.
because nobody knows and because 1t
Is sometimes one, sometimes the other
and sometimes neither. For instance,
in 1910 neither candidate nor platform
had much to do with the result There
had been a panic, and in delirium the
people sang General William Henry
Harrison into the White House with a
lot of doggerel which has created as.
tonishment and merriment ever since.
In 1874 the platform, or, more properly
speaking, a letter written by Henry
Clay, gave the victory to James x.
Polk. In 1S4S General Taylor's mill
tary prestige and split in the Demo
cratic party crowned the hero of Buena
Vista with the greatest civic honors.
Nobody paid any attention to the plat
form. Nobody knew what Taylors
opinions were on political questions.
Indeed he did not know himself. but
he had walloped the Mexicans in a
most astounding manner, he was nick
named "Old Rough and Ready a
fetching sobriquet. and sly Martin Van
Buren out of revenge deftly inserted
his poisoned dagger under the fifth rib
of the ponderous General Cass. In
1852 the platform was the chief thing
which enabled Brigadier Franklin
Pierce to snatch the coveted prize
from Lieutenant General Winfield
Scott, the hero of Lundy's Lane, Churu-
busco and score of stricken fields
In 1860 the platforms We're everything,
the candidates nothing except as expo
nents of the platform. In 1884 the re-
suit came of the malice of Roscoe
Conkling and the ALTERATION of Parson
Burchard. Jackson was elected in 1928
by reason of his matchless achieve
ment at New Orleans and reelected in
1882 because he stood for the rights of
''the plain people" as Lincoln denomi-
mated them; 1.-THE common people," as
Bryan loves to call them In neither
case did be need any platform save his
own record, and / doubt whether any
body paid the least attention to the
platform. The cry was "Hurrah for
Jackson and it was irresistible. In
at least half the cases presidents have
been elected by Wis inertiR- Things
are all right, let them alone"
One curious result of Martin Van Bu-
ren'S caper in 1S48 was that the name
of Van Buren county in Missouri was
changed to Cass and that of Kinder
hook to Benton Missourians take pol
itics seriously and never fail to punish
inf1delity to the party. A man in Mis-
souri, could no more duplicate the re-
cent somersaults of Hon. Joseph c.
Sibley of Pennsylvania than he could
fly. Attempting that role Missourian
would have to ''beg'n at the foot of the
class and spell up for 20 years.
no platform. He is platform in him
self. Everybody knows what he stands
for and for that very reason will elect
him with whoop- In electing him
they know precisely what they are get
ting. They are not buying a pig in
poke. They also know he will do what
he says, for while the average citizen
y ~
physiognomy he judges men by their
flesh marks" and no man ever gazed
into Bryan's handsome face and beheld
his high bridge nose, his magnificent
eyes and his square underjaw without
knowing that he possesses incorrupti-
Bile honesty, leonine courage and I'M
conquerable resolve. Hence they trust
him; hence he needs no platform.
As to Traitors.
Old King David once exclaimed in his
wrath, "All men are liars!" If he were
on earth again and should read divers
and sundry Republican newspapers, he
could with perfect truth and in high
good humor say. Many men are liars"
These pestiferous organ grinders and
slanderers for revenue only declare
day after day by the lie direct or the
lie oblique that all who are opposing
the McHanna policy of imperialism are
traitors. Such men as Bryan Hoar,
Schurz, George S. Boutwell,, Mason,
| John B. Henderson, Teller and a host
Of other Republicans of distinction op-
pose it tooth and nail, thus bringing
upon themselves the abuse of these
base maligners because they love their
country better than their party.
Nearly all the original leaders of the
Republican party are in their graves,
in retirement or in revolt. No wonder
they kick because the acts of injustice
committed by the McHanna admins
tration are piled upon each other like
Pelion upon Ossa. till they cry to heay
IN for redress injustice to the confid-
ing Porto Ricans. who welcomed the
American army with songs of gladness
on their lips, who strewed the pathway
of our soldiers with flowers and who
hailed Old Glory as the emblem of free
dom and equality; injustice to the Gu
Jan PaNA4OtS 0AO AOuSAt as
for their liberties as our fathers fought
at Lexington, Bunker Hill, Kings
Mountain. Eutah, Yorktown or New
Orleans; injustice to the Filipinos. who
fought side by side with American sol
diers to tear their sun kissed archipela-
90 from the iron grasp of Spain; injus-
tice to the brave and heroic Beers, who
modelled their governments upon ours
and who are battling, men. women and
children, for all the human heart holds
dear with courage, fortitude and self
abnegation rarely equaled and never
surpassed, but above all injustice, rank
injustice, to the American people, who
in moment of temporary mental aber-
ration gave into their unfaithful hands
and itching palms the mighty and null
tifarious powers OF the most puissant
government the sun has looked down
upon since the world began.
McKInfey's Dual Role.
AS far as in him Hes William McKin-
ley has brought representative govern
ment into disrepute by endeavoring to
play the dual role of president of the
United States and emperor of the Phil
| ippine Islands. But his days in the
White House are numbered. He sees
the handwriting on the wall With