Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-02-21

The Waukesha Dispatch, whose ed
itor, Hon. A. +. Warden, is chair
man of the Democratic state centra
committee, says:
"Some of those politically astute
and high-minded fellows who deserted
the Wisconsin democracy because oi
its alleged populistic tendencies now
think they have discovered evidences
of like vagaries on the part of the re.
publicans, as reflected by the meas.
ures proposed for enactment at Madi-
son. The poor fellows are deserving
sympathy"
That is just it, Bro. Warden; but
kindly withhold your sympathy; or II
you must get rid of it in some way,
please extend II TO "the family of the
deceased" True Democracy lives;
but the pseudo Democracy Of the Chi
cago platform Of 1896, reailirmed at
Kansas City in 1900 Is dead. 1t was
not only paternalistic, bat populistlc
and revolutionary. The claim that
it was, at the last election, endorsed
by nearly seven millions Of American
freemen, has no foundation In fact.
Thousands upon thousands Of voters
stood by the democratic party, be-
lieving that the lapse from the funda-
mentals OF it's faith would prove to be
but temporary. And thousands who
believed that it's defeat in 1896 would
be for the best interests of the coun-
try, returned TO II in 1900, not only
because IL was, and Is right upon the
paramount issue OF Imperialism n
question which Is still before the
American pooplc--but because IL IL
right upon other issues which have
arisen since the national campaign OF
1896. Their return, did not, and
could not save the party from over
whclming defeat. The great body of
the people demanded that the party
should do works meet for repentance
before they could overlook or forgive
the folly of those who had so basoly
misreprescnted the principles of true
democracy.
Bro. Warden, In his paper, just nj
ter the last election, said that every
body was surprised ut the result; but
the truth Is, mono but blind partisans
were surprised az 1t, Democrats who
had returned to the fold were not sur
priscd. They knew that the party,
through poor leadership, had been
brought very low. Chairman Warden
on his visit here last summer, was
told by democrats who had never de-
serted tho party, nor bowed TO repub-
lican gods Of any kind, that roailirm-
alton of the Chicago platform would
mean overwhelming defeat COR local
state and national candidates, De-
feat came, and 1t was even greater
than was feared. Mr.. Warden
knows, or ought to know, that defeat
was the natural outcome of the worse
than foolish course pursued by the
leaders Of the Democratic party In
1896 and 1900, and that they need all
the sympathy that he has TO spare.
No one holds Mr.. Warden, rcspon-
siblo for the result in Wisconsin;
but he would show wiser discretion
than he does, II with humility, he
should confess that he gave too much
crcdcnco to tho theories and the
claims of those who came M near MS
they could to making total wrccl,
of the democratic party.
We know the sentiment that exists
and has existed in Iowa county in re
gard to the action of these leaders
And what is true of Iowa county, ",
believe Is true Of the country In gen
oral. The hope Of the party lies no
in casting rcproachcs upon men whC
were true TO their convictions OF righ
and duty, but in the return to the wei
beaten paths of democracy. Popu
lism is populsm, and not democracy
wherever it appears.