Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-06-19
PHOENIX. ARIZONA. JUNE 10, 1903.
The Cave OF AauIlam .


According TO a dispatch in The Re
publican yesterday morning, ]. q. Ed
gerton of Denver. the secretary of tho
national. committee of the peoples par
ty and a 'wen-known newspaper writ
err of whom we have never heard in
that capacity. is throwing open the
cave of Aduliam on his own motion. He
desires that every one that is in dis
tress and every one in debt and every
one that IS disconnected gather them
selves unto him" (see I Samuel xxi, p.
In other words, Mr.. Edgerton wants a
reorganization of the peoples party.
This is not in our opinion a good
time for the growth of the peoples
party 1t has hitherto flourished only
in soil well fertilized by hard times
and general distress. when people are
apt to get panic stricken and fly to
all sorts of caves for. refuge. There
is no general distress now and the
ground upon which populism grows
rank seems to be unusually sterile.
But NJ. Edgerton is not hopeless. He
sees a favorable sign which q less san
guine man might overlook. The party
may be increased in great lump by
assertions from the democratic party,
for he announces, what s not entirely
new to those who have been watching
the. political sky, that the next nation
al democratic convention Will inevita-
bly, be controlled by the anti-silve1
wing of the party" He concludes,
theTefore, that many who have been
following Mr.. Bryan in the wilderness
VIII change their affiliations. The dem
made up in a large part. he points out.
Of populists who believed that he
would lead them to their goal by \
shorter cut than that that had been
marked out by the national populist
party for which there was only a pros
pect CT deferred hope to make the heart
sad
Beside, Mr.. Bryan was as good .
populist as any OF them. and it made
no difference under what banner they
marched If they could only win the
victory Mr. Edgerton believes that
the deserters from the fold will now
come back and that they will bring
large part of the western democrats
with them.
All this shows that Mr.. Edgerton has
not been close student of the
democratic character. There is al
ways much talk among demo-
Gratis of the eternal principles OF
jefferson and jackson. but they have
never yet failed to follow the leader
who promised them a chance at tie
spells. We have seen here in Arizona
the most rabid single standard advo-
Gates under the last administration Of
Mr.. Cleveland endorse all the vagaries
of Mr.. Bryan. They did not even I'M
dertake to explain their contrary course
by a change of sentiment, or of later
and more reliable information on the
money question. 1t had been made
manifest to them that Mr.. Cleveland
was nc longer a winner and there was
a hope that Mr.. Bryan might be che.
1t is therefore apparent that few old
line democrats will enter Mr.. Edger-
tons cave of Adullam.
But If all the rest whom he has in
vitcd attend he viii have large out
not a very formidable company. He Will
have no walls about the conference
which he has called. II viii be open to
fusionists Of all kinds, middle Of the
readers, advanced democrats, single
takers and lovers of liberty whoever
they may be. Is he also holding out
his hand to the anti-imperlalists?