Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-29

some who call themselves democrats
who have themselves undergone
change which has alienated them from
the democratic party, or from any par
ty worthy of the name.
Reorganization Waste of Time.
To attempt to patch up an apparent
harmony between those who are not in
sympathy with democratic purposes is
not only g waste of time, but would
prove disastrous. The men who de-
serted the party in 1896 may be divid-
ed into two classes. Those who left
because they understood the issue pre-
sented and those who left because
they did not understand the real ma
ture of the contest. Until the former
are completely changed in their SYM
pathies they cannot return to the party
without 1pjuring it. The latter will be
reconciled to the party when they
themselves become aware of the real
character of the life and death strug-
| gle now being waged between pluto
I cracy and democracy. I say plutoL-
racy, because the aristocracy of today
is one of wealth rather than of birth,
and it includes not only those who
have been alienated from the common
people by the possession of great
| wealth, but those who, although with
out wealth, pander to it and measure
all things by money standard Or
gained wealth has become so potent
in governmental affairs that some even
now despair of applying any effective
| a1 int 10 he
| patriotism of the people and the
strength of the public conscience The
4 people have a remedy within their
they can and will right every wrong
and remedy every grievance.
Must Have Character.
'The democratic party must have a
controlling purpose, unchanged by vic
| tory or defeat; it must stand for that
4 purpose at all times and everywhere
unmoved by threats of disaster and
uninfuenced by promise of temporary
gain. 1t must have a character, fol
character is as essential in party as
1t is in an individual. No one will
trust an unstable man or one SO with
out principle that his position upon
any moral question cannot be guessed
in advance. Neither will the people
trust a party that is willing to write
into it's platform today anything thai
promises to catch a few votes or strike
out of its platform tomorrow any
thing that will ALLEVIATE a few votes
Even if it desired to do so our party
could not compete with the republican
party in the use of money in cam
paigns or in the deception or coercion
of voters, because large campaign
funds can only be secured in return fol-
the promise of favoritism, and our PEG
pie are not in a position to coerce. Oul
! party must have principles and pro
claim them; it must stand by them ani
defend them, relying upon It's faith il
the righteousness of those principles
and upon it's faith in the intelligence
and patriotism of the people.
4 Human Rights vs. Greed.
"The struggle between human rights
on the one side and greed on the 9th
er is an unending one. Our party mus
. take part in the struggle, but tina
struggle cannot be permanently settled
by this generation or by any future
one. AS the children OF Israel wander
ing In the wilderness, could not store
+ bread for the morrow but were com
, PEELED to gather mama each day, s.
the citizen finds it impossible to res
upon the achievements of yesterday, o
to frame government that will rul
, itself. He must labor today, tomorrow
and while life lasts if he would be Sc
cure. He must meet each new prob
lem and examine each new proposition
that is submitted to the people, but il
doing so he will employ the same pur
poses and apply the same genera
rules. He cannot tell what tempta
lions he may have or of what immedi
ate gain he may have the promise i
he will but surrender his manhood bu
he knows, if he is an upright man, tina
he will endeavor to resist every temp
tation, and he will determine to fore
go every advantage that requires
surrender of his manhood.
+ Must Meet the Issues.
! $50 with our party We cannot tel
l what issues we may have to meet
5 we can only determine to meet then
in democratic spiritto apply to then
5 democratic principles and to take tn
: peoples side always. In 1892 the PAL
e amount issue was tariff reform and TIL
t democratic party boldly asserted it
demand for a tariff for revenue only
: 1t fought the campaign and it won
y but it's majority was so narrow tina
a few senators, disloyal to the part
y on this subject, defeated the verde
4 of the people rendered at the polls
: But the failure of the party to do al
. that it promised would not have bee
. so disastrous but for the fact that tn
! Wilson bill, unsatisfactory as it wa
/ to the tariff reformers, had to bea
0 the sins of republican financial sys
t TEN which was supported by our &C
t ministration against the protest of a
e Overwhelming majority of the voter
: of the party. The defeat of 1894 wa
:. more disastrous than any that the pal
J. ty has experienced since, and it wa
S due to the fact that the administrator
t deserted the people on the none
question In 1896 the money questio
i had forged to the front made para
4 mount not by the action of the major
S ity of the democratic party, but by tn
;. attempt of minority of the part
! to aid the republican party to chat