The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-07-30


between people of opposite sympathie
and 1T is a difficult thing to change
, mans sympathies. 1t requires q poll
lcal regeneration to make Democrt
out of an aristocrat. 1t is "a niue
easier task to show man that til
principles he has been advocating an
the policies which he has been sur
porting are aristocratlc in their pres
ent effect or in their tendencies. Th
Republican party of today is aristc
cratic in its policies and tendencies fo
it is controlled by few in the interes
OF few, but there are many Republi
cans who remain with their party onl,
because they do not understand tn
change which has taken place in tha
party within the last few years. Whel
the policy of a party is controlled b,
its voters, then the party stands TO
the will of the majority, but when tn
party is dominated. by small nI,norit,
then the organization stands not fol
the will of the majority, but for the
Will of those who dominate il. There
can be no doubt of the Democratic in
stincts of a large majority of the
members of the Republican party, but
that party today is 80 controlled by or.
ganized 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 ques-
ton the Republican party has not in
recent years honestly submitted a
single important issue to the arbitra-
ment of the ballot, or even to the
Judgment of the members of its own
party. 1t has written ambiguous
platforms and forced its policies
through Congress after elections. In
1896 it used promise of international
blnetallism to conceal It's real purpose
to fosten the gold standard on the
country. In 1900 it practiced the same
deception on Imperialism aud on the
trust question. Even within month
it has refused to announce its purpose
iii regard to the Philippines, and has
put off until after November the pas.
sage Of the subsidy bill and the con-
sidcration of the trust question. The
leaders of the party show their lack of
vital faith in the doctrine of self-gov-
ernment by their unwilmgness to take
the people of the country, or even the
voters of their own party, into their
confidence. The hope of the Demo-
cratic 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 sue
cess must be won, not by initiating
the Republican party, but by exposing
lt-not by making the Democratic
party aristocratlc, but by convincing
the people that it is really Democratic
and can be trusted to defend Demo-
cratic ideas and to cultivate Demo-
cratic ideals. AS thore are many in
the Republican party who have adj
hered to the party Notwithstanding
the change that the Organization has
so there are some who
call themselves Democrats who have
themselves undergone a change which
has alienated them from the Demo
cratic party, or from any party worthy
of the name.
10 attempt to patch up an apparent
harmony between those who arc not in
sympathy with Democratic purposes is
not only waste of time, but would
prove disastrous. The men who de-
serted ,ne party in 1896 may be divided
into two classes. Those who left be-
cause they understood the issue pre-
sented and those who left because they
did not understand the real nature of
the contest. Until the former arc
completely changed in their sympathies
they cannot return to the party with
out injuring it. The latter will be re-
conciled 20 the party when they them
selves become aware of the real charac-
ter of the life and death struggle now
being waged between plutocracy and
democracy. | say plutocracy, because
the aristocracy of today is one of
wealth rather than of birth, and it in
cludes not only those who have been
alienated from the common people by
the possession of great wealth, but
those who, although without wealth,
pander to 1t and measure all things by
a money standard. Organized wealth
has become so potent in governmental
affairs 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 the
ballot, and with it they can and will
right every wrong and remedy every
grievance.
The Democratic party must have a
controlling purpose, unchanged by vic
tory or defeat; it must stand for that
purpose, at all times and everywhere,
unmoved by threats of disaster and
uninfluenced by promise of temporary
gaiE. 1t must have character, for
character Is as essential in party as
it is in an individual. No one will
trust an unstable man or one 80 with
out principle that his position upon
any moral question cannot be guessed
in advance. Neither will the people
trust party that is willing to write
into it's platform to-day anything that
promises TO catch few votes or strike
out of its platform tomorrow anything
that will ALLEVIATE few votes. Ever
If it desired to do so our party could
not compete with the Republican party
in the use of money in campaigns o.
in the deception or coercion OF voters
because large campaign funds can only
be secured in return for the promise
Of favoritism, and our people are no
in position to coerce. Our parry
must have principles and proclaim
them; it must stand by them and de
fend them, relying upon its faith il