The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-26
THE BAD REPUBLICAN PARTY

Persons who fail to read the numerous
recipes for Democratic harmony that are
being offered by the party leaders now
adays miss a great deal of amusement and
some solemn instruction. Nothing could be
funpier than the eulogies of harmony in
the abstract. followed in every case by
attempts to beat it into the other fellow
with a club But we are also getting a
great deal of valuable information con-
corning the fundamental principles of gov
eminent and what a deadly peril TO free
government and human liberty the Re
publican party is. We are learning that it
embodies and represents all the bad forms
of government and dangerous cracies there
are-aristocracy. plutocracy, autocracy,
monocracy and all the rest. The only true
friends Of democracy are those who spell
il with big d. A few days ago former
Senator Villas characterized the Repub-
lican party as a huge conspiracy against
the Nation, and said that when the
browning mercy of it's destruction should
be vouchsafed 'the very publication of
the Nations soul by the fires of the strife
will easily enable it to subdue the lesser
forms in which Satan is embodied in our
national life An undergraduate who
should produce such a sentence as that in
a society grafton would probably think it
fine writing.
Mr.. Bryan in his speech at Nantasket
diagnosed the case somewhat differently,
with practically the same result. He
pointed out that the two great political
parties of the country represented two OPP
posing ideas-aristocracy and democracy
the former being represented by the Re
publican party and the latter by Demo-
cracy with a big d. He also identified the
aristocracy with the plutocracy. between
which and Democracy with big D there
could be no afiliation With profound sa-
gacity he said: There can be only one
aristocratic party in the country. There
will be room enough for all the aristocra is
in that when the people know what the
party stands for AS Mr.. Bryan has read
Grover Cleveland and all his friends and
followers out of the Democracy, with a
big d, it follows that their only place is
WITH the plutOcracy ana arlStOcracy rep
resented by the Republican party. Yet
Mr.. Bryan makes one kind concession. He
says in effect that Republicans are aristo-
Gratis without knowing it. To quote his
words:
great majority Of the Republicans of
to-day are Democrats at heart. They be-
iieve with Lincoln in government of the
people, by the people and for the people.
l believe the only trouble is that they have
not noticed the change that has taken
place in the purpose and character and
There can be no doubt of the
Democratic instincts of a large majority
of the members of the Republican party.
but that party to-day is controlled by
organized wealth that the rank and file
of the party are not consulted about the
and file considered by the leaders.
There is some consolation for Repub-
licans in knowing that even in the opinion
of the great and only friend OF democracy
as form of government and the peerless
leader Of Democracy with a big D, Repub-
leans are not wholly bad, at least not in
tentionally so. They are aristocrats and
plutocrats without knowing it. and are
really entitled 10 be in better company. In
the present distracted condition of the De-
mocratic party they would probably be
welcome recruits TO the Democracy with a
big d. 1t is a pity the ruling party of the
country does not know 1t Is running It,