The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1901-08-09
Consolidated April II. 1890

will that leave the South Dakota
democracy?
The men who control the rem.
nants OF the democratic party in
this state and who vote still the
democratic ticket, have since
1896 become to all intents and
purposes populists. The old line
democrats, the men who were
democrats because of the tradi-
tlons OF the party, because they
were opposed to a centralized
government, because they stood
for personal liberty and against
every form of socialism, because
they were for the democratic
policy of honest payment of debts
and the honor of the flag, left the
Populistic Democracy and threw
their influence to the republican
party. Those that remain were
the men imbued with populist
notions as distinguished from the
policies which had heretofore
controlled the democracy. They
adopted nearly in full the popu-
list program. They gave up the
notion of a decentralized goverp-
ment and personal liberty and
swung clear over to an advocacy
OF radical extension of the patton
al power, they advocated nation
alization of industry, the repudia-
ton OF debts, the scaling of the
dollar, the destruction of the con
stltutional theory of the courts,
and the hauling down Of the flag.
They became populists in every
thing but name, even abandoning
the free trade theory for which
the democracy had fought for
twenty years.
And these men not only follow
ed the management Of their par
ty in making this radical switch
OF principles, but they went out
and strenuously fought for them.
They went still further. They
resigned the management of
their party in this state to men
who had been life long opponents
OF the old democracy, to men who
We're opposed to every principle
OF the party Of Jefferson, Jackson
Tilden and Cleveland. They dug
between themselves and the
democratic past as wide and deep
a gulf as ever separated political
parties in this country.
Now it is evident that the ma
tlonal democratic party will
swing back to its old mornings.
that it will abandon cheap money
the nationalizing Of industry, the
packing of courts, the antiexpan-
sion craze and all that is compre-
hended under the title OF BRYAN
ism and will re-install in it's plat
form all the principles to which
the South Dakota remnants have
been for five years opposed.
What will the democrats OF this
state do? Will they follow the
party name regardless of princi-
pies? Will they throw complete
summersault politically? Will
they confess themselves mistak-
en- IN their every contention since
1898 and espouse every cause
they have tried to defeat. If
they do this they will first of all
lose all Of their populist follow
ing, for the populists for the
most part while mistaken have
been honest. They have fought
not for pie but for principle.
And if the democracy loses
this populist support there will
be left SO small a body that it
will be politically insignificant.
1t on the other hand they re-
main true to their professed
and to their populist
allies, they must give up their
party name and must become in
name as well as fact populists.
In this case they will have no
connection with the national
party, they must become merely
a part of small sideshow. There
is no hope that the ole line demo
Gratis who left the populist demo
cracy in 1896 and worked with
the republicans will return to the
democratic party under any cir.
Gums tances. These men who
forsook their party associates
did SO from high sense Of duty.
They are not trimmers or time
servers. They will continue
with the republicans SO long as
that party continues to stand for
those great principles which have
saved the country in 1896 and
1900.
The state of South Dakota de-
is bitter. Whichever
way they turn ruin stares them
in the face. They are now .suf-
fering and are bound to suffer
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