Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-25
Continued from Page Nine.)

Continued from Page Nine.)
thinks so look about him. l see before me
many farmers and the representatives of
farmers. The Iowa farmer is the synonym
of independence. Yet he sells at prices
fixed by the grain and meat trusts. buys
at prices made by iron. steel, lumber and
other trusts, and reaps that the railways
may garner in. He is fortunate df he
owns the farm in having a living assured.
but as to whether or not he shall earn
profits. the lords of the factory. market,
| mine and highway determine for him as
absolutely as ears. But how is 1t In
America with the man who has no farm,
with the young man going out into world
in which he has no possessions? Where
are the avenues of self-employment. which
opened so invitingly to his father? To
him is left scarcely more than the one sin
gle chance, to enlist in the service of one
of those corporations 10y which the trust
baronS do their work. He may think With
sorrow and envy OF his ancestors who
Went forth With gun or AK, or pillow or
lcvel-each his own man--and worked out
each his own independent fortune But he
cannot expect TO do the same. The Amer
lean is fortunate and exceptional now, who
Is his own man. He finds himself immesh-
I'd in new feudalsm. where the lords
of soil and highway are not, as of old.
proud mobiles Jealous of glory, but iuvisi-
BILE corporations. greedy of power and ont
for the stuff. Such conditions ought not
to exist in democracy. In any democ-
racy where the people have not been led
away from the truth. such conditions can
not exist. In any nation where such
wealth and power are permitted perma-
nently to be so concentrated. democracy
cannot exist. The trust principle and the
principle of popular government are so
l nxs. tn
both are in the field, they must fight, and
one must fall
Reorganization.
This convention should go down to his
tory for its fearlessness in recognizing this
battle and placing itself upon the fighting
line / have no fear that we will commit
any great error, if we keep our eyes fixed
upon the north star of democratic princi
pie and steer orr course by that. There
Will always be found some tinorous and
venal souls who will prefer any course
which promises IN easy campaign and sue
cess at the polls. But say to you that
success at the polls won at any sacrifice
Of tlne democracy will be more disastrous
than any defeat There are those who say
ANYTHING With great plausiblty, TINT by
making peace with Wall street we might
make sure of winning in 1904 Such gen
tlenen hold out promises of much fairness
The temptation is disguised under specous
words. hut essentially the thing proposed
is bargain, in which a campaign fund
and offices are offered as the price of the
Reorganization of the democratic party. l
do not know the extent to which such
views are held here. hut as Tor me, pray
we may not he led into sucn temptation,
but be given dcfenl with honor rather
than so shameful a victory.
Free Trade Victory.
But those who dream Of such a depart
nfe from the straight path are, / am per-
suadeh. few. Moreover their reasoning Is
strong where 1t is moved IL the deep
swell of opinion from The people. 1t Is
weak when 1t listens to the voice of the
tnmpter Of plutocraey. In ist2 the plat
form offered 10y the committee II our ma
tiGnnl convention was rehhsi of the vic.
torioils one of 1894 But there sprang to
.hn platform man who knew that the
people were weary of paltering With pro-
lection. and demanded a tariff plank which
@ald mean something My God" said
he. must we now. in 1892, go back to
the straddle of 1882: The convention
said not, and the Neal tariff plank was
adopted. There followed a tariff campaign
On free trade lines, and free trade princi-
pies won. Democracy was strong at the
polls because it WAS true to its convictions.
Defeat of 1894.
But the leadership of the party saw fit
TO abandon the issue on which this victo-
~ was won and pushed to the front dues-
tons alitn to those OIL which the party
had been called to power. The result was
such disaster as we had never known
Victorious in 1892, ana in full possession
of all branches of the government we met
in 1891 such defeat as was never met be-
fore or since.
A LeaderIess Army.
The party was corroded ana eaten away
by the feeling among the rank and file
that 1t had abandoned the principles Of
democracy at the hehests of plutorracy.
And when its convention met in 1SDG its
former leaders had lost power over it and
the so lately victorious democracy of
America stood. like leaderless army.
awaiting the sound of some voice chilling
TO battle IN the name of the people. That
waiting WAS not in vain III that con-
vention democracy as deep and basic as
jefferson s fonnd voice, and when the cir
cling standards of the states at last clns-
tered about the standard of Nebraska,
those who saw and understood. knew that
real democracy had found words to eN-
press its thoughts and a general TO lead it
in the field Under that leadership the
beaten, disorganzed. discouraged army
took. The field against the uxultant hosts
of plutocracy and waged Il conflict which
tcprried Consideration. into the very throne
rooms of modern feudalism. They trem-
bled because the platform of 1885, In what
it implied. even more than in what 1t
said, was declaration of war upon every
special privilege. every legalized robbery.
every vested wrong. Had the policy of 1892
and 1854 been Endorsed in that convention,
the democratic party would have sunk
to the rank of Il third party, Vitalized' by
the new leader. and the new defiance of
aggregated wealth. we polled almost u
million more votes than ever before. and
| Il lnrgef per cent of the total vote than
| in 1889. We won back nearly forty CON
gressmen lost in 1894. and cut down the
| republican majority by twothirds. And
this In the face of the most desperate cam-
paign OF corruption and intimidation ever
| known.
| In 1900. in spite of the administrations rs
1 successful foreign war, In spite of the
1 spirit of militarisin. Notwithstanding the
| full dinner pail argument aud in the face
of the republican party's becoming a
guarantor of prosperity. by marching on
in the same path. and appealing to the
people to discard the evil policy Of impe-
| i.o t.ut tl,a on piD