Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1900-08-30
ABERDEEN CaEHAlY COUNTY WASHINGTON AUGUST go 1900

they determined to control the demo.
cratic party as well as the republican
party as a measure of precaution and
safety. After this time influential demo.
Gratis were made partners in their deals
And for number Of years the most sim
istes influences in American public life
was able to boast Of having its attorneys
J and ret&iners on both sides of the center
aisles i'll both branches Of the national
congress. The drift OF public opinion,
however, continued unmistakably in
favor of the democratic party as the party
that must ultimately save the country
and protect the rights of the people
against their despoilers.
In 1896 the democratic masses, ttissatis-
fled with Cleveland's administration,
determined to rid the party of the con-
troll of the men who foisted Cleveland
upon them and have new deal conn
posed of men who were known to be loyal
democrats. The Chicago convention of
I806 was one Of the most heroic and
grand bodies of men that ever assembled
i'm any country or in any age In that
convention the work Of party regenera-
tiem was accomplished. And notwitf-
standing the fact that in many lscalities:
thousands of honest democrats were de-.
ceived by former party leaders and the.
party press and were led to oppose the
party candidates, Bryan received, in.
round numbers, million more votes
than were cast for Cleveland in 1892.
And notwithstanding the banks, great
corporations and monopolies contributed
a corruption fund so large that it stag
gers the Imagination, there are grounds
for the belief that had the vote been
honestly returned Bryan would have
been elected.
All OF the corrupting elements in
American politics were driven together
in the campaign of 1896 in support of
Mckinley while many of the best men Of
the republican party went over to the
democrats. Thus when the Spanish war
broke out President Mckinley found
himself surrounded by all that ID evil
and dangerous in American public life.
The war furnished them opportunities
for population and plumber in furnishing
transports, food and supplies for the
army and enabled the politicians to Sc
cure fat government positions for all of
their worthless relatives. The disgrace
full and shameful appointments Of incom-
petent men to responsible positions dur
ing the war with Spain disabled and
decimated in camps OF instruction the
grandest volunteer army the world has
ever known.
The campaign Of 1896 was salutary
warning to the brigands Of commerce
and politics that their rule was to be
brief. They saw that when the demo-
cratic party had purified itself from their
influence that it became attractive to all
honest and upright citizens and that the
line between them was at last clearly
drawn SO that intelligent men need no
longer be deceived. Hence wars of con-
quest and an imperial policy appealed to
them as a possible means of escape.
Hence their plan was to plant the flag
anywhere under any conditions and cry
out "traitor" against those who dared
offer criticism.
But the democratic party, as stalwart
as in the days of Jefferson, under as grand
leaders as the world has ever known,
Immediately challenged the right of an
administration to use the flag of the free
as an emblem of oppression against
weaker peoples anywhere upon the earth.
Hence the paramount issue in the pres
emit campaign, Imperialism, embodies all
of the issues between democracy as
taught by Jefferson and exemplified in
the life of the republic and the brigands
of commerce, politics and plumber who
stand today unmarked before the Ameri-
can people, and who have no hope of
success in the coming election except
through the corrupt expenditure OF a
fabulous sum Of money contributed by
corporations, trusts and monopolies.
The democratic party, however, spoke
to the American people at indianapolis
on the 9Th instant through the lips OF
the greatest democrat of the age and the
democratic party OF Bryan is the demo-
cratic party of Jefferson, as pure today
as in the days of Jefferson and grown
stronger by the experience Of century.