Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-08-01

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 submitted single
important issue to the arbitrament of the
ballot. even to the judgment of the
members of its own party. 1t has written
ambiguous platforms and forced its pol
icies through congress after elections. In
1896 1t used a promise of international BIZ
metallism to conceal its real purpose to
fasten the gold standard on the country.
In 1850 1t practiced the same deception on
Imperialism and on the trust question.
Even within a month it has refused to
announce its purpose in regard to the
Philippines. and has put off until after
November the passage of the subsidy bill
and the consideration of the trust ques-s
ton. The leaders of the party show their
lack of vital faith in the doctrine of self
government by their unwillingness to take
the people of the country, or even the
voters of their own>party, into their con-
fdence- The hope Of the democratic party
lies in bringing this fact to the knowledge
of those who have been In the habit of vot-
ing the republican ticket. One aristocratic
party in the country is enough. Demo-
cratic success must be won, not by initial
ing the republican party, but by exposing
it-not by making the democratic party
aristocratic, but by convincing the people
that it Is really democratic and can be
trusted to defend democratic ideas and to
cultivate democratic ideals. AS there are
many in herepublican party who have adj
hered to the party Notwithstanding the
change that the organization has under
selves democrats who have themselves un-
dergone a change which has aiienated them
from the democratic party, or from any
party worthy of the name.
Deserters of Two Glasses.
ITO attempt to patch up an apparent har-
between those
pathy with democratic purposes is rot
only waste of time, but would prove dis
astrous- The men who deserted the party
in 1896 may be divided into two classes.
Those who left because they unde rs TODD
the issue presented and those who left be-
cause they did not understand the real
nature of the contest. Until the former
are completely changed in their sympa-
thies they cannot return to the party with
out injuring it. The latter will be recon-
ciled 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
plutocracy, because the ariStocracy of to-
day is one of wealth rather than of birth,
and 1t includes not only those who have
been a1ienated from the common people by
the possession of great wealth, but those
who, although without wealth, pander to
1t and measure all things by money STAN
dard. Organized wealth has become so
potent in governmental affairs that some
even now despair Of applying any effective
remedy. But such underestimate the pa
| triotism 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.
Party Must Stand Firm.
1.-THE democratic party must have a con-
trolling purpose, unchanged by victory or
defeat; it must stand for that purpose at
all times and everywhere, unmoved by
| threats of disaster and uninf1uenced by
promise of temporary gain. 1t must have
a character, for character is as essential
| in party as it is in individual No one
| will trust an unstable man one SO with
| out principle that his position Upon any
| moral question cannot be guessed in ad-
| vance. Neither will the people trust a
| party that is willing to write into its plat
form to-day anything that promises to
| catch few votes Or strike out of it's plat
form tomorrow anything that will alien
ate few votes. Even If It desired to do
SO, our party could not compete with the
republican party in the use of money in
campaigns or in the deception or coercion
of voters, because large campaign funds
can only be secured in return for the prom
| Use of favoritism, and our people are not
| in a position to coerce. Our party must
| have principles and proclaim them; it must
stand by them and defend them, relying
| upon It's faith in the righteousness of those
| principles and upon its faith in the intelli-
gence and patriotism CT the people:
An Unending Struggle.
1.-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 settled by this genera ton
| or by any future one. AS the children of
Israel, wandering in the wilderness, could
| not store bread for the morrow, but were
| compelled to gather mama each day, so
the citizen finds it Impossible to rest upon
| the achievements of yesterday, or to frame
| a government that will run itself. He
| NIL txy,il IL
| life lasts if he would be secure. He must
meet each new problem and examine each
| new proposition that is submitted to the
| people, but in doing so he will employ the
| same purposes and apply the same gen
| eral rules. He cannot tell what tempta-
| lions he may have or of what immediate
gain he may have the promise if he will
= but surrender his manhood, but he knows
if he is an upright man, that he will en-
| deavor to resist every temptation, and he
will determine to forego every advantage
that requires a surrender of his manhood
Issues Must BE Met.
so with our party. We canont tell what
issues we may have to meet; we can only
determine to meet them in democratic
spirit, to apply to them democratic prin-
ciples and to take the peoples side always
In 1892 the paramount issue was tariff re-
form, and the democratic party boldly IS
serted its demand for a tariff for revenu.
only. 1t fought the campaign and it won
but its majority was so narrow that few
| senators, dlSioyal to the party on this sub
ject, defeated the verdict of the people ren
dered at the polls. But the failure of the
party to Go all that it had promised would
| not have been so disas trous but for the fac
that the Wilson bill, unsatisfactory as i
was to tariff reformers, had to bear tn,
sins of a republican financial system which
was supported by our administration
against the protest of overwhelming
majority of the voters of the party. Tn
defeat of 1894 was more disastrous thar
any that the party has experienced since
and It was due to the fact that the admin,
istration deserted the people on the moSe,