Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-04-10

Extract from speech delivered by Henry
Watterson at . banquet in Richmond, Va,
last week.
We love our country Our hearts beat
true to its institutions. We would resone |
the Government from the hands Of those
who are connecting it into Government
Of the Trusts, for the Trusts and by the |
Trusts, and restore it to the hands of those |
who will have some regard for the rights Of |
the people, The Republican party is a
syndicated party. Arbitrary power is its |
motor, the Almighty dollar its trade mark.
II it be not checked in the gait it is going
it viii in the end surely Mexicanize the
Republic.
Once again in the White House we have
she man on horseback. Affecting the sim
plicity of the cowboy, he conceals beneath
the self-confdence and queer manners Of
the broncho buster the sentiments and am
billions, if not the talents OF Diaz To
him, little think like treating an Adj
Emiral Of the navy, wearing the laurel
leaves Of inperishable renown as If he
were baby in arms, now to be handled
dress affair begun and ended during off mo-
ments between breakfast and luncheon.
ITO him the reprimanding Of the Lieu
/ ~
fighting OF the battles Of his country, be-
comes an amusing horse play, meant to-
relax his muscles and illustrate his high
mightiness while warning lesser officers
Of the army to obey orders and say moth
ing. As these things go forward, partak-
ing somewhat OF the character of feats to
divert and blinds to hood wink public opin-
ion, bill Of army reorganization is pre-
it becomes law, will make the power OF
the President absolute, and which, it is
not too much to say, ought to be entitled
An act to make the President Of the q. s.
a military dictator.
Because the Teprimanded Lieutenant
General, answering the summons OF COM
mittee of Congress as was his duty
presses an opinion adverse to this bill, it
is proposed to retire him from the service.
Taken in connection with some other mat
tiers Of more or less sinister suggestion,
these are menaces Of most ominius import.
"But, turn from the White House to the
Capitol, and look at the Republicans in
Congress. The trail Of the trademark is
over them ALL Old High Tariff dances the
can-can in the House, while old Ship Sub
sidy does the regulation cakewalk in the
Senate. Everything for the syndicates.
Nothing for the people. And not content
with their arbitrary power in the White
House and their mercenary power In Con-
gress, the leaders Of this party Of Federal
ism and false pretension would rip open
| Pandora's box to fitch thence the black
piratical flag of negro domination the
equally disreputable and bloody shirt Of
sectional agitation and in order to make
- Al
to bring forward another force bill to smite
the South, to blight the North, and to con-
vert land teeming with love and peace
into land reeking with hate and strife.
Such is the banquet to which the exit Of
Mex Finley, the statesman, and the advent
I of Roosevelt, the rough rider, has invited
us.
Friends, brothers, Democrats, let us
have done with dissension. Let us turn
our backs on the past, our eyes to the future
calling the old fight off and the old scores
square. He who stands with me against
these things is my comrade, no matter
what he thinks, or ever thought, about
silver or gold. He who would deny me place
| by his side to fight them must either be
very perverse or very blind. Let us cross
| no bridges till we come to them. But
already we can see far enough ahead to
take our reckoning. There will be but one
test Of a Democrat in 1904 toe the line
toe the line, saying to arbitrary power and
absolutism:
ssThou shalt go no further; we, too, are
| in the expansion business; but our expan-
sion is for the religion Of the Constitution
| no less than for the religion Of Christ and
Him crucified. Our expansion means peace,
not war; the honor, not the degradation of
the flag, and just as surely as Jefferson
wrote the Declaration of Independence and
Jackson fought the battle Of New Orleaps-
TO resist despotism shall we make new
| Fourth of July and celebrate another eighth
Iof January, in resisting this uprighteous
scheme to abolish the Constitution and
Mexicanize the government.