The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-12
OLD POLICIES CAST ASIDE
1t Once Stood For Freedom, it Now
Endorses Slavery.
ONCE EXALTED MAN, NOW ExALTs MONEY
Once il Declared That All Governments DERIVED
Their Just Powers From the Consent Of
the GYerned. Now It Holds Eng
land's Colonial Policy.

When, in 1896, the Silver Republicans
refused to stand upon the St. Louis
platform, they declared that the Repub
lican party was deserving it's traditional
policy and that they were not willing
to follow the party in its change upon
the money question. They pointed out
that the Republican platform in 1888
denounced Mr.. Cleveland's attempt to
demonetize silver, and that the Repub-
lican platform of 1892 declared that
the American people from tradition and
interest favored bimetallism. They took
frequent occasion to quote Mr.. McKin-
ley's speech of 1891 in denunciation Of
Mr.. Cleveland's attempt to make money
Iscarcer and therefore dearer-noney.
the master, and everything else thu
servant"
Each year the departure of the Repub-
licans from the early ideas of the party
becomes more apparent. Lincoln often
referred TO 1.-THE plain people" and to
1.-The common people, but any one who
thus Classics the people at this time
is sure to be called a demagogue by the
Republican leaders. When the Republi-
can Ierty wrote its national platform in
1856 1t invited the cooperation of all
these who were in favor "of restoring
the action Of the Federal Government
to the principles of Washington and JEFF
ferson,'' and Lincoln himself was a
greater admrer of jefferson. In 1859
the Republicans of Boston celebrated the
birthday CT Thomas jefferson, and Lin
coin ia his letter of regret paid the fol-
lowing tribute to Jefferson: Cali honor
to Jefferson; to a man who in the con-
crete pressure CT a struggle for national
independence by single people had the
GOODNESS, forecast and capacity to in
troduce into merely revolutionary doc
ument an abstract truth, applicable TO
all men and all times, and so to embalm
it there that today and in all coming
days it shall be rebuke and stumbling
block to the harbingers of reappearing
tyranny and oppression" In the begin
ming of the party's existence the Repub-
lcans appealed to the name and the
principles of Jefferson, but at Republican
banquets nowadays Jeffersons name is
spoken with disrespect, and Hamilton's
name and ideas are extravagantly
landed.
The significance of this change becomes
apparent when it is remembered that
Jefferson was the foremost representa-
tive of the Democratic idea, while Sena-
tor Henry Cabot Lodge in his life OF
Hamilton points out that the latter was
the representative ots the sristccratiE
idea Lodge says: 1.-The republic OF
Hamilton was to be an aristocratic, as
distinguished from a Democratic repub-
lie, and the power of the separate States
was to be effectually crippled. The first
object was attained by committing the
choice of the President and Senators
who were to hold office during good be-
havior, to class of the community
qualified to vote by the possession of
certain amount of real property. The
second was secured by giving to the
President of the United States the ap-
pointment of the Governors Of the va
rious States, who were to have veto
on all State legislation. These provis-
ions, as may be seen at glance, in
volved the essential character OF the
Government, and although purely Repub-
lican, came much nearer to the British
model than any other by their recogni-
ton of classes and OF the political rights
Of property, while by the treatment of