The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1902-08-14
Trusts, Tariffs and Taxes.


fate of all thinkers who disconcert the
equanimity of the stupid and unthink-
ing by taking a necessary step in ad-
vance of the ruck and daring to point
the way. Sneers and snarls, frowns
and fleers, censure and condemnation
were its unstinted portion. The divine
ratio, we were told, could not be imper-
lied or set at naught. The wild vaga-
ries of western populism that had
brought the party to defeat and disas-
ter in two succeeding national cam
paigns were still regarded as sacred
principles" by those whose only guide
is prejudice and who hearken only to
the voice of interested fattery. The
suggestion that new issues must be
met and that repudiated and discredit-
ed issues must be abandoned, was
hoarsely pronounced heresy or trump
eted as treason. Those who dared re-
move their eyes from the Kansas City
platform were mathematical and pill
loried as enemies of the democratic
party, gold bugs, monopolists, imps Of
the money devil, and the like.
1t is comforting to see the leaders of
the party who are in the watch tower,
those who must be trusted and follow
ed, those who have opportunities for
observing and who have access to all
sourcess of information, to-wit: the
democratic executive committee, COM
ing to the Commercial-Appeals posi-
tion and vindicating its predictions.
Not the least dynamic in moving the
party leaders from the doldrums of
doubt and uncertainty into this haven
of security, was the insistence of the
undiscerning laudation of exploded
theories by enthusiasts who fancy SEN
timent is above sense and that ideal
isms can be converted into realities by
few eloquent public speeches.
The democratic national committee
is pushing to the front trusts and tariff
reform which includes taxes; because
the tariff is the greatest, most unjust
and monstrous tax ever invented. For
the sake of harmony it pretermits the
Philippine question as inopportune
without expressing an opinion, one way
or the other, on the subject. The real
issues upon which the party hopes to
| win are the trusts and tariffs. Speeches
| and other literature dealing with these
questions are being scattered broadcast
over the country. In Sundays Com
mercial-Appeal it was stated that $50, ,00O
copies of Congressman Patterson
speech were being sent out. Later adj
vices are to the effect that 400, 900 copies
of this speech on the trusts and tariffs
are being sent broadcast over the land,
and literature along this line is being
selected to the exclusion of all else.
There are many democrats who are
hostile to the Philippines accession, but
they are wise enough to leave the ques.
tion in allegiance. The Philippine ques
tion involves the American soldier and
the American flag and the intemperatt
assaults made upon the American sol
dier by superheated democrats of prom
inence, some of them in O riot of ex
travagant rhetoric pronouncing hin
"a murderer in the sight of God," hal
angered the nation that will always
stand, as it has stood, by the American
soldier aud initiated against democrat
ic success more than anything else
The republicans, wise in their day ant
| generation, will do all in their powe
to hold the democrats to defense o
1.-THE position which few of the ill-guid
/ ed members of the party have taken Oh
his Philippine question, while they vii
concern themselves with the easiest o
all tasks q defense of the American sol
dier. Even the most rabid, the mos
uncompromising and the least recon
structed democrat in the country, who's
son is fighting his country's battles il
the Orient, or whose son has fallen i
defense of his country's flag in thes
far off islands, will be slow to cast hi
vote in support of men who pronounc
that son "a murderer in the sight c
God" All the skill in nuance and dill
ferentiation and all the eloquent sopl
istries in the world drawing distinction
between the author and the instrument
the principal and the agent, the admir-
istration that orders the war and th
= soldiers who execute it, are OF no ava
and will be found to possess none {
the elements of an anodyne to sootl
the wounds inflicted on national prid,
The republicans will strive to force I'll
democrats to trial on this issue, bn
fortunately, they have in their ow
- household members quite as unwi'
and incorporate. Senator Hoar, OF
l. OF the ablest, most scholarly and mo
). sincere of men, has made less injur
!; GUS choice of language, but he has gol
!. quite as far as have Senators Carmat
j. and Patterson or Mr.. Bryan in denoun
ing the policy of retaing the Phllippil
: islands, and in the republican east
the home of the anti-imperialist brigat
: who have brought so much discredit {
the American flag.
The democratic national commit
t has chose the safe and sensible eours
and the great mass of democrats w