The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-25

the will of those who dominate it.
There can be no doubt of the Demo-
cratic instincts of a large majority of
the members of the Republican party,
but that party to-day is so controlled
by organized wealth that the rank
and file of the party are not consulted
about the policies nor are the interests
of the rank and file considered by the
leaders. With the exception of the
tariff question the Republican party
has not in recent years honestly sub
mitted single important issue to the
arbitrament of the ballot, or even to
the judgment of the members of it's
own party. 1t has written ambiguous
platforms and forced its poll
cies through Congress after
elections. In 1896 it used
promise of international bimetallism to
conceal it's real purpose to fasten the
gold standard on the country, In 1900
1t practiced the same deception on inn
perialism and on the trust question.
Even within month it has refused
to announce it's purpose in regard to
the Philippines, and has put off until
November the passage of the subsidy
bill and the consideration of the trust
question. The leaders of the party
show their lack of vital faith in the
doctrines of government by their
unWillingnesS to take the people of the
country, or even the voters of their
own party, into their confidence. The
hope of the Democratic party lies in
bringing this fact to the knowledge
of those who have been in the habit
OF voting the Republican ticket. One
aristocratic party in the country is
enough. Democratic success must be
Won, not by initiating the Republican
party, but by exposing it-not by MAX
ing the Democratic party aristocratic,
but by convincing the people that it
is really democratic and can be trust
ed to defend democratic ideas and to
cultivate democratic ideals. AS there
are many in the Republican party who
have adhered to the party notwith-
standing the change that the organ
ization has undergone, so there are
some who call themselves Democrats
who have themselves undergone a
change which has alienated them from
the Democratic party, or from any
party worthy of the name.
ITO attempt to. patch up an appar-
ent harmony between those who are
not in sympathy with Democratic
purposes is not only a waste of time,
but would prove disastrous. The men
who deserted the party in 1896 may be
divided into two classes. Those who
left because they understood the issue
presented 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 par
ty without injuring it. The latter
will be reconciled to the party when
they themselves become aware of the
real character of the life and death
struggle now being waged between
plutocracy and Democracy. 1 say plu-
tocracy, because the aristocracy of to-
day is one of wealth rather than of
birth, and 1t includes not only those
who have been alienated from the
common people by the possession of
great wealth, but those who. although
measure all things by a money
standard. Organized wealth has
become so potent in governmental af-
fairs that some even now despair of
applying any effective remedy But
such underestimate the patriotism of
the people and the strength of the
public conscience. The people have a
remedy within their power, namely TIE
ballot, and with it they can and will
right every wrong and remedy every
grievance.
what Democrats Must Do.
1.-THE Democratic party must have a
controlling purpose, unchanged by
victory or defeat; it must stand for
that purpose at all times and every
where, unmoved by threats of disas-
ter and uninfiuenced by promise of
temporary gain. 1t must have a
character, for character is as essential
in party as it is in an individual
No one will trust an unstable man
or one SO without principle that his
position upon any moral question can
not be guessed in advance. Neither
will the people trust a party that is
willing to write into it's platform to-
day anything that promises to catch
a few votes or strike out of it's plat
form tomorrow anything that will
ALLEVIATE a few votes. Even if it de-
sired to do so our party could not com
pete with the Republican party in the
use of money in campaigns or in the
deception or coercion of voters, be-
cause large campaign funds can only
be secured in return for the promise
of favoritism, and our people are not
in position to coerce. Our party must
have principles and proclaim them; 1t
must stand by them and defend them,
relying upon it's faith in the right
eousness of those principles and upon
its faith in the intelligence and patri-
otism of the people.
The struggle between human rights
on the one side and greed on the other
is an unending one. Our party must
take part in the struggle, but that
struggle cannot be permanently set
tied by this generation or by any flu
ture one. AS the children of Israel
wandering in the wilderness, could not
store bread for the morrow but were
compelled to gather mamma each day
so the citizen finds 1t impossible to
rest upon the achievements of yester-
day, or TO frame a government that
viii run itself. He must labor to-day,
Tomorrow and while life lasts, II he
would be secure. He must meet each
new problem anu examine each new
proposition that is submitted to the
people, but in doing so he will employ