Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-07-24
STANDS LIKE A GIBRALTAR
1zissourts Unfinching Loyalty to the Dem
0crstic Party Appropriately Euiogized
by Mayor James a. Reed at Chicago.

Aaissourt's Unhinching Loyalty to the Dem
ocrstic Party Appropriately Euiogized
by Mayor James "A. Reed at Chicago.
Chicago, July 20.-Mayor James A.
Reed, of Kansas City, was among the
distinguished democrats of the nation
who spoke from the platform with W.
J. Bryan at the picnic of the local
democracy Saturday afternoon. Mayor
Reed spoke in part as follows:
Ladies and gentlemen: I have been
asked to respond to the sentiment
The Democracy of the West Possibly,
If we consider the question from the
standpoint of success, the thought might
be limited to the Democracy of Mis-
souri, OF all the great states of the
west, lying north of Missourfs south
ern boundaries, Missouri alone can bs
counted solidly in the de0ocratic col
umn.
1.-THE democracy of Missouri is gran
lite wedge driven into the center o,
republicanism. In the hour Of success,
she leads the van; in the hour of de
feat, camps upon the field and form
the rallying point for scattering hosts
Invincible, indomitable, unconquered
! the democracy of Missouri challenges
the admiration or mankind.
This condition obtains in Missouri
because her democrats are not mere
time-savers, acknowledging the creed
of expediency, and willing to sacrifice
principles for Office. Great leaders OF
the democratic party of Missouri have
always stood for the fundamental
principles which must underlie all free
government. And in standing for these
principles, they have but expressed the
sentiments that are deeply craven Oh
| the hearts of the masses of MiSSouri's
democracy.
But Missouri's democracy will insist
| that the next national convention shall
| adopt a platform that, in every letter
and line, will ring true; and that, in
| unequivocal terms, shall express allegi-
| ance to those great principles which
are necessary to the liberties of man.
| 81 affirm that monopoly has been
| the curse of the ages. And that a
monopoly granted in express terms.
| by the decree of a despot, is not more
| obnoxious than a monopoly created
under a general law. No man has
| ever sought to create monopoly with
/ any other purpose than to extort unfair
| prices. Back of every monopoly is the
| scheming brain of a man who expects,
! by its creation, TO reap where he has
not sowed, and gather where he has
not titled
"In all the years that are gone the
one great lesson that stands out upon
every page of written history is that
men with unlimited powers abuse
those powers. Whether the powers
are found in laws creating despots, who
exercise the functions of government.
or in grants which create monarchs in
the commercial world, these powers
have in the end resulted in burdens
being placed upon the backs of the
masses of the people; and the whole
effort of humanity, through all the
ages, has been to destroy those special
| privileges.
''The very soul of democracy is
enmity to privilege. The spirit which
inspires it is the determination to
forever keep the laws of the country
SO that the door of opportunity shall
open TO every willing hand, and every
honest skillful brain. And all of the
efforts of the democratic party, from
the days of Jefferson to Bryan, have
been grouped around this great central
pillar OF liberty.
ST have said that to-day the country
is in the midst of crisis. I say this
for the reason that until within recent
years-aye, within recent months, al
political parties declared enterna
enmity toward and warfare on every
form of monopoly; but within the las
few months, the republican party has
absolutely reversed it's position, anG
given the lie to every platform adopted
by it's conventions. You may read al
of its platforms from the days of Lin,
coin to it's last general convention, anC
they are replete with pledges of enmity
to monopoly. Only few months agt
the president of the United States, theI
vice president, proclaimed his allegi
ance to this faith; he declared tina
trusts. which is only another name
for monopoly, were enemies of the
republic. Then came the memorable
council at Oyster Bay; and then was
announced the new doctrine of the re
publican party, that there were good
trusts and bad trusts And that II
making warfare upon the bad trust:
we should use the EXTREMIST care mo-
to injure the good trusts
sT deny that there ever was such q
thing as a good monopoly. There
can no more be good monopoly thar
there can be pious rattlesnake. To
attribute righteousness OF purpose tt
q monopoly, is as ridiculous as tt
attribute philanthropic motives to Lu
cretia Borgia, or patriotism to Benedict
Arnold
sarrho whole truth is that the repubIi.