Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-12-18
SOCIALISM MFoLLoWsrRYANIsM
cratic Party in That Direction
for Years.

A significant fact is noted in connec-
ton with the late election in Massa-
chusetts. The Appeal of Reason, a
socialist organ published in Kansas,
has completed a canvass of the vote
cast by its party in the United States,
and places the total at 100000. 1t
adds: The heaviest socialist vote was
polled in Massachusetts" There are
some interesting conclusions to be
drawn from this statement, and the
Boston Journal proceeds to draw
them:
'The heaviest socialist vote was polled
in Massachusetts," This Is the sinisternet
result of this years strenuous effort to
''reorganiZe," rehablitate and revitalize
the Bay state democracy. The nomination
of Mr.. Castor did not succeed in capturing
Massachusetts or breaking republican con-
troll Its chief practical effect was the
rolling up in this conservative common
wealth of the heaviest socialist vote"
in the union. y year or two more and
socialism will have absorbed our Massa-
chusetts democracy, root and branch.
Those gold democrats who have left their
party ana become republicans are abur'-
Gantly justified by the course of this years
elections The democracy is escaping from
Bryartsm to fall into socialism. 1t is sim
ply going from bad to worse. 1t is passing
under the spell of the most dangerous de-
fusion which this party of opportunism has
ever embraced.
The journal is of the further belief
that the conservative democrats as
well as the few mistaken republicans
who voted for Mr.. CASTOR will soon be
coming to the republican party" ION the
run and that the line will be very
sharply drawn in the commonwealth
between the forces of conservatism
and the forces of radicalism. 1t CON
cludeS thus: "One does not need to be
prophet or the son of a prophet to
read the meaning of the straws on the
stream of politics or the drifting
clouds in the sky" The signs are not
confined to Massachusetts. That
large proportion of the democratic
party everywhere is deeply tainted
with socialism is indisputable. If it
were not true David Il. Hill could never
have so Sticky put through his govern
ment coal contiscation plank at his
state convention in Saratoga, nor
would the Bryan doctrines, many of
them purely socialistic, appeal so
strongly to the rank and file.
The truth is the democratic party
as whole for years has been steadily
moving toward socialism. The coali-
tion in some states with the populists
who politically are but one degree
removed from the socialists-as far
back as 1892 was one of the first and
most notable of the outward and Wis
able signs of this drift. Some demo-
Gratis who winllcd at that combination
then have seen the folly of it since. and
instead of following the path which
led into the Bryan camp have taken the
back track and are to-day in much
more general sympathy with the re-
publican party than with their own.
1t is probable that with this Socialistic
drift continued there will be n new
alignment of political forces. As mat
ters are going there will soon be no
choice between republicanism and
socialism-and the self respecting. CON
Servativc democrat who doesn't like
socialism is not likely to be very long
in reaching a decision as to which side
he will take