The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-31
bee ause 1t 10 a trust?"


York platform adopted while the ant hracite
coal strike was at Is height. and now famous
a. the coal plank
We advocate the national ownership
and operation OF the anthracite coal mines
by the exercise OF the right OF eminent do
main
cannot resist the temptation to put In
deadly parallel" by the side Of this official
declaration - the pemocratic party OF the
the Manhattan Club
This great Commonwealth. concentrating
within ~ limits practical control Of the great
financial and transportation interests OF
the country, should consider seriously before
indor' ing the astonishing centraiizing policy
The proportion that the States arc rover
less to regulate their own affairs and that
Federal control IL the only means Of prevent
which comes with III grace from citizen Of
New York. whether he be the President OF
the United states or no
HILL IN The PILLoRY
II is a serious thing that great party
which hopes to secure majority OF the votes
In he greatest state of the Union should put
such declaration in its platform Inc
considered now. but It is a serious thing that
the Democratic party should adopt such a
proposition. The least OF the offences in
VOWED In the declaration L. that II II uncon-
room for argument. unconstitutional. Mr.
Hill's parade OF pretended argument in the
neshborhood of the question. but not on
the question, j. an insult TO the Intelligence
OF the people OF the State, and he 10 too good
a LAWYER not 10 knowt say that l. the least
OF the offences became n man has rlght 10
argue an unconstitutional position TO the
People who make Con-titu'ions ana AK
them TO change the constitution, but he ought
10 be frank about II and say that he wants the
Constitution changed
~ Dewocra'lc icader shripks from that
becau-" the demand for a change OF the
Constitution of the United States to make
th" proposition of the coal plank possible
would reveal the greater fault that II seeks
N al toll Ia. N
narration between Federal aud state author
ny, aud vest IN the National Government
of life which our carefully devised Consi
tutor al system has vested in the States ~
the prInciple. embodied In this proposition
were adopted. the American system of local
selfnovefnmcnt would Toe AZ All end. and the
States would become but counties and geo
graphical divisions Of great centralized
power
For. If the National Government has power
10 enter the State OF Pennsylvania ana take
the anthracite coal fields into its possession
aud ownership and mine the coal to supply
the wants of the people of the United states.
II can take the bltumnous coal fields OF Ohio
and Illinois, IT can take the grain fields OF
the West to furnish food and the cotton fields
of IN" South to furnish Clothlng, II can take
The railroads and ships that transport the
which III ia. raw material for use. every
requiremcnt Of human life becomes a pub,
of that all pervadng and direct relation
the distribution of powers between national
and state governments, and the sovereign
States themselves would disappear
NEGATIoSs Sr STATE SELF GovERNMEST.
The PROPOSITION involves not merely the
destruction of our political system. but of
our social system a. we'll While the Ssertion
of the power negatives the right of States to
local self-govornmcnt. it, exercise would he
rank and extreme socialism nder II pa
ternal government controlling the bus ness
aud it, millions of employees. would take the
place OF the individual enterprise. freedom
OF contract and open competition. which
have made America great and prosperous.
DISHONEST.
But have said too much about the merits
OF the proposition The worst thing about
II j. thst u J. not honest IL negatives the
basic principles of the DEMOCRATIC party. 1t
height of the coal -trikc. not because the
Democratic party of the state believed in IL
but in III" ectGtion that the strike would
continue and in III. hope OF catching votes
by an appeal of passion and prejudice stirred
ny by the heat OF that great struggle and by
the suffering resulting from the want Of fuel
that the government which governs least
Cover n best that the Federal authority shall
be- strictly confined within the limits OF ex-
press Constitutional authority. that the SOW
rreisn local control of the states shall be
ma irtained inviolable. were tine fundamental
principles of JefIerson- politi reli zion. and
have been the fundamental principles OF the
Democratic PARTY ever since hi day How
can We r-sIect the sincerity Of the men who
claim TO be the Disciples OF Jeiler son and pro-
such shameless, efrontary abjure and deny
those principles for the sake Of winning votes
from the passing passion Of day:
DEMOCRACY HAS 40 PRINCIPLES
Unfortunately this not very credita BILE
ac, well illustrates the fatal weakness OF the
had no cohesion except by force OF the desire
TO turn the Republican party out Of ofice
II has had no policy upon which u could
agree hut has been continually like MIR
Hin with his coal plank calling for national
ownership OF the oal'felds. and Mr. Coler,
protesting AGAINST national Interference II
has had no principles which il was not willing
10 throw overheard at a moments notice on
the chance OF WHINING an election. For
forty years il has uniformly taken its position
not with referenc" to what II believed but
with reference TO producing Repu lean
failure In 1894 il dcclarded the war TO be
a failure because the people seemed to be
weary OF the long struggle and there seemed
a chance tn appeal to their weakness In 1872
i took Grecley a. IT'S G1n i although u
there seemed u chance of dividing Repub-
lican voters when the Republicans were for
sound money. Democrats were for imitation
and for .' silver, because cheap money
was an a. ..i 2 crv for the dema gogue 10
catch the fancy Of the crowd. when the sup
preston of the Philippine insurrcction be-
came tiTesoms they appealed again to the
supposed weakness of the people as they did
in $50 and demanded n Welding Of the SOW
ereirntv of the United States to the forces
in arms against IL, whose suppression they
themselves had or c'nallv ioined IN requiring.
When they did Obtain power, iull ana I'M
controlled in the second administration of
Mr. Cleveland thew were unable 20 use II.
and although when they nominated Mr.. Cleve-
made large mart of them have ever since
hated him for the good qualities he displayed.
ONLY TWO THINGS THE DEMOCRACY HAS
CONSTRUCTED.
The rca son for the Democratic party's failure
under hat administration WAS IL was lngrained
with the destructive habit and had no con-
-tructive capacity For half century the
democratic party has constructed nothing
tariI bill The Wilson tarh was so bad
that the Democratic President would not
sign 1t and denounced II as fraud it, enforce:
mcnt was accompanied by disaster and
poyerty. and it, repeal under Republican
rule has been followed by Astounding pros
perity. while the very men whose splendid
courage wreathed the standard OF the oSt
cause with imprishahe renown. declare
Tint the failure OF the Confederacy was
blessing TO mankind, TO our common country.
and to the psop" of tho south Themselves.
Long ago, before the war for the Union.
there was a Democratic party with capaC city
to govern II exists no longer motley
crow Of touters for votes by hook and by
crook has usurpcd it, anne, and the appro-
pirate expression oi their political character
l. 10 be- found In the Coal plank of the New
York Democratic platform. advertised under
the name of Thomas Jefferson
Col. Archie Baxter of Elmra was the last
speaker Of the evening. Col Ba xtor made
one of his characteristic speeches. and was
literally applauded
The McrtAE NJ Durland's