The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1901-07-12
Advice to Democrats,

The New York Sun in a trenchant
way has these few remarks to make:
Senator Clay OF Georgia has been Civ
ing some advice to the democratic party.
He wants it to reform, to move out OF
Be1lam, to waive away the wild popu-
lists, to make itself friends Of the Nam
mon of unrighteousness. Instead OF
going in the direction OF pOpulism," he
says, 'we must shape our policy 80 as to
meet the interests and the demands OF
the business interests of the whole cOun
try" He declares that the democratic
party has no fight to make on capital"
and that it docs not antagOnize any
business interests"
We don't know where Mr.. Clay g demo-
cratic party is to be found. 1t is not
the democratic party OF 1896 and 1900.
For five years that democratic party
has been fighting the business interests
of the whole country. 1t has sought to
force debased currency upon the ma
ton. 1t has cried for an income tax,
sort OF fine upon capital. 1t has hOwled
like a demoniac against capital, the
money power, Wall street, the corpora
tions, the trusts. 1t has tried to get
into power by setting the producing
classes" against the "pIutOcrats." 1t
has rOared against "base commercial
ism" Its chief occupation has been to
make itself offensive to business, and it
has seemed to regard wealth as a sort
of crime.
The anti-wealth crusade hasn't paid
A great many democrats have been
alienated by 1T. New York. New Jersey
and Connecticut have cen lost on ac-
count of it. Ia the east and in the west
it has been failure, and even the south,
resignedly tolerant of democratic eccen-
tricities, is weary of it. 1t is pleasant
to be prosperous and democrats have no
objection to taking their share of pros
perity. 1t is no wonder that many of
them are restless at the abnormal posi-
ton of their party, sick of radical rant,
eager for more business and less bun
cOmbe. But how can a party turn
complete sOmersault and escape ridiculp?
How can the democratic party purge
itself of popuIsm? Not by the mere re
lection of actual fusion with the populist
party. The democracy is itself thor
Oughly tainted with populist notions
The infection is less in the east, strong
in the west and south Suspicion or
hatred of capital may still be seen in the
legislatures of southern states, such as
Arkansas and Texas. In some western
states like Nebraska and Kansas the
democrats amount to nothing without
pOpulist aid. Admitting that the demo
cratic party can go alone, how is it to
expel the pOpulism that has grown into
| it and become its MASTER Bryan is
nothing more nor less than a populist;
| and Bryan is still the democratic leader
with the greatest following. Behind
him is Organism, fierce, insstent, radi-
| cal force, intOlerant OF wealth, anxious
to NEEDLE with business. Are Bryan
and the Bryanites to become sane all of
a sudden, give up their epieptic fits of
speech, and agree all at once to put the
dollar above the mani"
And all the democratic leaders who
| have been gambling Organism? Even if
they are willing to eat their words, can
those words be forgotten? Even if the
democratic party had the wish and the
power to change it's principles and to
| appear as the friend and not the enemy
of business, would business be much i'm
pressed thereby? The conversion would
be too instantaneous to be accepted as
genuine. A party which has been doing
its worst Tor five years to alarm and re
pei conservative interests will not win
the confidence of those interests until
after a long probation.
Mr., Clay has laid out big job for his
party. Probably the only thanks be will
get for his pains will be to be told that
he is trucking to the money power.