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

$ the same purposes and apply the sam
a general rules. He cannot tell wins
temptations he may have or of wha
It immediate gain he may have the pre-
h mise IT he will but surrender his man
@ hood, but he knows, if he is an UP
d right man, that he will endeavor t
= resist every temptation, and he Wi
: determine TO forego every advantag
@ that requires surrender of his man
= hood.
l. So with our party. We cannot tel
t what issues we may have to meet; w,
: can only determine to meet then
7 in Democratic spirit, to apply t,
3 them Democratic principles and t,
take the peoples side always. In 1S0:
l the paramount issue was tariff reform
, and the Democratic party boldly as
: serted its demand for tariff for rev
, onue only. 1t fought the campaign
: and it won, but its major' was sc
: narrow that few Senators, disloyal tc
the party on this subject, defeated the
verdict of the people rendered at the
polls. But the failure of the party
do all that 1T promised would not have
been so disastrous but for the fact that
the Wilson bill, unsatisfactory as it was
to tariff reformers, had to bear the sins
OF Republican finan cial system which
was supported by our administration
against the protest Of ssn overwhelming o
majority of the voters of the party.
The defeat of 1894 was more disas-
trous than any that the party has ex-
perienced since, and it was due to the
fact that the administration deserted
the people on the money question.
In 1896 thu money question had
forged to the front, made paramou MT
not by the action of the majority of
the Democratic party, but by the at.
tempt OF a minority of the party to aid
the Republican party to chain the
country to an approaching dollar.
Without abandoning its position on
The tariff question the party met this
issue and took the side of the people,
In spite of the desertion of many
formerly conspicuous in its councils
The Democratic party polled million
more votes than it had ever polled be-
fore, and would have had won but for
the indefensible methods of the Re-
publican party, whose leaders held all
the ptotoctionist Republicans by de-
Glazing the tariff issue to be J. u
mount, Modified the wrath of most of
The flee silver Republicans by promis-
ing international bimetallism, and won
all the advocates Of the gold standard
by revealing to them the secret pur-
pose of the party to adopt European
financial system. But even then we
would have won but for the fact that
borrowers wero coerced and employed
were inundated.
In 1900 the action of the Republican
party in turning war commenced for
humanity into war of conquest com
PEELED the consideration of another
question: question 80 far-reaching in
Its consequences that our party right
fully declared ii to be the paramount
issue. Without abandoning its posi-
ton on the tariff question or on the
money question it agam espoused the
peoples side of q great issue. That it
did not win that year was due TO con-
ju' lion of causes, any one of which
would have been insufficient to have
accomplished defesv The administra-
ton having carried on brief and sue
cessful war fell heir to the enthusiasm
which usually attends a victorious con-
illct; an unexpected increase in the
supply of new gold and an unexpected
influx of European gold, due to large
crops here and famine abroad, IN
creased prices, relieved the stress of
hard times and gave to the people the
benefits that always flow from a grow
ing volume of money. While the adj
vantages which followed larger vol
ume of money indicated the principle
contended for by bimetallists they were
appropriated by the patty in power,
and those who were influenced by con-
ditions, without attempting to realize
the conditions, gave the Republican
party credit for an increasing prosper
ity.
The protected manufacturers, of
course, stood by the administration
which had gwen them Dingley law.
Trust promoters and trust magnates,
recognizing in the Democratic party
an inveterate foe, and numbering
among their stockholders many Of the
most Influential Republicans, threw all
their strength to the Republican party,
and by their support purchased I'M
hhuhioJ iioh puulSnuleuC. Inc lCe-
publicans were greatly aided by an
other influence, namely, the influence
OF the iinanciers who not yet have
| completed their schemes were willing
to risk trusts, imperialism or anything
else rather than foreSo the advantage
which they expected from gold stand
ard and bank currency. In spite of
all these obstacles the campaign of 1900
only showed net change of 15O 600
votes in favor of the Republicans out
of total vote of over thirteen millions.
And what is the situation today 2
Since the election of 1900, imperialism
is more openly avowed and imperialis-
tic methods more boldly entered upon
because the administration can point
to that election as an apparent in
dorsement, although the party leaders
at that time vehemently denied i'm
lperialistic Intent. Those who expect
TO make profit out of colonial sys-
tenn favor it on the ground that it will
pay; those who think that it opened up
the Philippines to proselyting insist
that 1t is proyidential, while those who
are simply seeking some reason for
supporting their party's policy fall
! back upon the doctrine that circum-
stances got us into the trouble and tha,
we must stay in until circumstances
get us out.
Since the election of 1900 the trusts