Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-03-16

cans in the number purchased, but | am
afraid that the democrats have not al.
ways appealed, as they should have done
to the conscience while the republicans
were appealing to the pocketbook.
l believe that the conscience is the
only thing that can be placed against
money. lfyou can awaken conscience.
no money can buy it. 1t was a conscience
that made men stand by the stake and
smile as the flames consumed them.
Awaken that conscience and all the
money Of all the world cannot corrup,
Delaware!
And instead Of trying to "reward peo-
pie who are democrats for remaining
democrats, or trying to purchase republi-
cans who can be thought, let yeur motto
be that you do not want vote that has
not behind it the heart and the head of
the voter; that you are going to purify
! politics in Delaware by setting the ex-
ample, and showing how a campaign
ought to be run.
You cannot surpass the republicans in
the purchase of "otes. You cannot
initiate their methods, and win. You
simply estop yourselves from cr;ticising
them. Never until you sell the princi.
pics OF the party, can you get as much
money for the campaign purposes as
they can. They can always offer five or
ten or even a hundred dollars for every
vote whore you can ofltr one dollar, ana
il you 60 into the market and bid again t
them, they can outbid You every time.
But ii you say to them that on have
no money for that purpose, that you do
not want any person t, vote your ticket
because he is paid for it, you viii make
it an honor to be a democrat in Delaware,
You may be few in numbers when you
start, but if you will 90 out and preach
this gospel you will increase, and when
you get vote it will be vote that will
stay, and you will accumulate votes and
make yourself an irresistible force in
this eola, 1Sity
You cannot adopt any other course
without despairing OF this republic. Tell
me that you are going on from CORFU ption
to greater corruption? Tell me that there
is no relief except in furnishing more
money than the republicans can furnish ?
| tell you that the theory looks inevitably
to the destruction OF this republic. You
cannot have republic long under those
conditions, and instead Of initiating re-
pubicans and giving them no reason to
leave their party, set before them high
er ideal, and 60 and appeal to the con-
science OF those republicans, old men,
middle-aged men and young men.
Organize your clubs, and when man
joins, let him do as the old Carthagenian
generals child did when his father
brought him to the altar and made him
swear eternal enmity to Rome. So when
a man joins a democratic club in tn 8
state, make him walk up to the altar and
lay his hand on it and swear eternal
enmity to corruption in politics. Let the
world know that the democratic party in
Delaware, however small it may be, is
party of principles and convictions.
And l believe, my friends, that you
will be surprised to find how many re-
publicans, alarmed at what is going on in
their party, will be glad to find some
place to 60, where they can act with ease
of conscience. and where they will not he
under condemnation for their own con-
duct. And it may be, if you will do that.
that this will be the turning point in our
political history, that out OF your con-
troversy here, out Of your disgraceiul
condition here, will come the hope of a
better day, and that this corruption hay-
ing gone to the very limit, will arouse
the people to resistance, and little Deia-
ware will lead the way to return to purity
in politics.
You are small-and some OF the re.
publicans now do not like snail states ;
they do not like to bring in new territor-
les because they are small-but my
friends, virtue is not measured by the
size OF the community that exhibits it.
Little Switzerland is not large, but she
has given lessons unto the world. Little
Switzerland is not powerful in numbers
or in physical strength, hut she is lead
ing the way in many reforms to the high
est citizenship and to the best govern
ment.
And so little Delaware, small in num-
bers and in territory, may lead the way
to purer politics.
lam glad to have been with you. You
owe me nothing; owe you everything.
1 never can pay back the American
people for what they have done for me,
for while do not assume that these who
have voted for me have voted for me as
personal compliment or that they have
placed me under personal Obligations for
what they have done, yet do mean to
say that the great struggling masses OF
this country have given to me all have,
or am, or hope to be, ard ALL my life,
| Al II, A.