Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-05-08
PARTY PRINCIPLES.

Candidates for office placed in |
nomination by the several politi-
cal parties represent the princi-
Piles and policies of their respect
i've parties. This is especially
trae of candidates for congress.
They stand committed to the
principles and purposes Of their
party and pledged In advance Of
election to do all possible, if
elected, to further the policies of
theit party. This Is as it should
be. 1t enables the voter to cast
his ballot in shpp6tt of princi77
ples. To all Intelligent and
thoughtful electors the petsonal-
ity of the candidate Is of second
ary importance. The question
Is NOT. is he bright, capable and
qualified, but are his political
principles the best for the coun-
try?
Mr.. Reames is democrat.
He is named by the democratic
party as a candidate for congress,
who, if elected, may be depend
ed upon to stand up in earnest
support of the measures and pur-
poses of that party.
What are these? What may
they be? What the principles of
the party really are is difficult to
determine. 1t is a fact that the
republican party has formulated
and applied%its principles to our
political life so acceptably, so
thoroughly, so successfully and
for so long a time that there has
been scant room for different
principles. This has forced the
democratic party to become rather
the party of negation and of OBJ
struction than a party having
clean-cut, distinctive and great
principles.
The only democratic principle
to which the party has consist
eatly clung through ali the years
is tariff-for-revenue only, SC
closely drawn to free trade a:
Justly to identify it as the party
of free trade. Whenever it ha:
had the opportunity it has de-
stroyed protection. 1t has never
in all our history, enacted a tariff
law for the country that has no
been followed by commercial ane
industrial disaster and wide
spread suffering. This has al
ways fallen with most cruel force
upon our farmers, mechanics and
1aborers. The last democratic
tariff, the "Wilson and Gorrnan'
bill forced manufacturers to close
mills and factories, enforced idle
ness upon tens of thousands in
dustrious workmen and carried
hunger and distress to countless
homes. It dissipated the surplus
in-the national treasury and sent
the government out into the
world a borrower of money on its
bonds for future payment. These
are exactly the things which
would again ensue were the
democratic party permitted s'to
revise the tariff"
The party demands the pas
sage Of laws controlling trusts
and sincere efforts to enforce
them" There is not an anti
trust law on the federal statute
book which was not placed there
by republicans opposed by demo-
Gratis. The school boy who reads,
knows a republican administra-
ton is sincerely and vigorously
enforcing those laws, and that
the most bitter opposition it
meets comes from democrats
the Rockefellows, the Morgans
of the democratic party. When
that party held the reins of gov
ernment it did not raise a finger
against the trusts. The people
know it cannot be trusted to con-
troll trusts any more than it may
be to revise the tariff.
We shall revert to this subject
again. For the present we would
say that there is not a single
thing in the purposes of the
democratic party to win a repub-
lican vote for its congressional