The Brandon news., 1902-06-05
WHAT DEMOCRACY Is.

never forget the essential difference
between the democratic party and the
republican party.
That difference began with the gov
ernment and exists today as markedly
as it ever existed. The democratic
party is and always has been the party
of law; the republican is and always
has been the party of force. The
gospel of democracy aims at the good
of the many. The gospel of republic
anism aims at the enrichment of the
few. Hence, the doctrine of the con-
stitution strictly construed, as against
the doctrine of absolutism and arbi-
trary power; hence, the doctrine OF a
tariff for revenue only, scattering its
blessings far and wide, as against a
doctrine of protective tariff. with
it's class distinctions, breeding mono
poles, and everywhere fostering and
building the remorselses trust.
Because some democrats have for
gotten these things, the republicans,
who few weeks ago were in the
deepest kind of hole, begin to feel
their oats again. The full strength
of the pack, Foraker on his fire ladder
to "whoop 'em up, 'and Lodge astride
his force bill to wind the horn of alb
solutism and arbitrary power the
oot-hog -or-die policy of suppression,
evasion and silence getting its second
wind-the would be man on horseback
kept prudently i'll the background
starts in full cry upon the old bloody
shirt trail i'll the senate. Outside the
senate each democrat who ventures to
poke his nose from cover, whether it
be Mr.. Bryan OF Mr.. German or Mr..
Hill or the editor of the Courier
Journal, gets a shot from the hot gos-
pelers of mercenary patriotism. Truth
to say, if any one of them were a fox,
his doom would be surely sealed.
Happily, the field of politics is-Aaeett Aaeet
the hunting 9ela That is to say, not
entirely so and hence, neither man
1 nor fox, i'll public life can be declared
dead and done for until he has actually
turned his toes to the daisies. While
there is life there is hope-even for
democrats and the democratic party.
At the same time we are bound to say,
partly as word of warning and partly
as a candid admission, that the demo-
Gratis of the senate have not strength
ened the general party position, nor
| improved the autumn outlook, by the
latter end of the pending Philippine
debate. There is yet time, however,
to amend the shortcoming.
They started out right enough. AS
long as they hewed to the line of alb
solutism and arbitrary power, holding
the republicans to a strict account
ability for their acts and intentions
not merely the argument, but the trend
of public opinion, was with them.
1t was the original program of the re-
publican leaders to let the democrats
do all the talking. When in the
wrong, keep silent, is good rule,
poth in politics and ethics. They con-
cluded that their case being weak, at
best, and tile democrats themselves a
little uncertain of their ground and
likely to stumble, it was the part of
prudence to leave the result rather to
the blind god of chance than to take
the hazards of discussion with the
facts SO much against them. Since
the policy of the administration had
I been that of evasion, suppression and
silence, they would adopt it in the
Senate. s'Give the democrats rope
enough they reasoned, land they
will hang themselves.
4 But the democrats did not hang
i themselves. On the contrary che re-
publican case was SO bad and the de-
mocrats debated it SO we'll, bringing
out fact after fact and day after day
making such all impression upon the
country, that, perfoce, the republicans
found themselves obliged to abandon
their scheme Of mastery inactivity
and to take the field again. They
made all this change of base with
characteristic intelligence and effron-
try. Instead of acting on the de-
fensive, they assumed the aggressive.
They said to themselves: ssWe will
make Copperhead affair of it. !"
They said I'VE will hoist the bloody
shirt, and sectionalize it. = Then and
there, the democrats seemed to have
lost their heads. Apparently, like
poor Goldsmith, they argue best when
there happens to be nobody to aggra-
vate and answer them. Anyhow, they
! fell into the hold dug for them by the
republicans, and dug right before their
Ieyes. they exchanged good money
for bad. They accepted false issue
at the dictation of the senemy. They
lsurrendereds an impregnable position,
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