The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-04-30
REPUBLICANlZING THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
From the Cummoncr.

Mr., Thomas +, Ryan, writing IN
the North American Review, Np-
peals to the Southern Democracy
to line up" Tith the re-. organic
ers. The advice which Mr.. Ryan
gives is the same that Is extended
by all the representatives, of those
who would Rcpublicau2c the
Democratic party More interest, ,
therefore, than attaches to the ar.
ticlc of Mr.. Ryan, will bc taken in
an editorial relating to that article
and appearing in the Kansas City
journal, n Republican paper.
Referring at large to Mr. Ryan :
suggestions the journal says
We can imagine the sorry fig.
IRE that would be cut by the Demo.
cratic party before the PEOPLE ON
the issues presented by Mr.. Ryan.
With scarcely any modification his
presentation of these issues could
be adopted bodily into the National
Republican platform without any
violence to the views of that
party" "
The journal admits that Mr.
Ryan is correct enough in saying
that there can be no hope of re.
storing public confidence in the
Democratic party until it supports
the policies which he cnumcratcs, "
but the journal adds
That which he proposes is a
public confession that the Demo-
cratic party has been wholly wrong
on every prominent issue before the
American people in the last ten
years. Such a confession, of
course, carries with il an open nd
mission that the Republican party
has been wholly right on the self
same ISSUES, Aud the spectacle of
"a political party laying claim to
the franchises of the people under
such set of circumstances is not
an cXhilaratiug or inspiring one,
nor does II seem to warrant the
hope of MIR Ryan that such dis
credited and humiliated organiAa.
ton can carry the country.
Still, as Mr.. Ryan shows, there
is no future for the Democratic
party unless it Republicanizrs
itself IN the mauuer suggested.
With the passing of years and II
steady adherence to intelligent
economics, sound finances, and II
lcftler degree of patriotism, demo
cracy may get back into the re
spcct of the people and earn the
right to larger participation in
the affairs of government. "
Reorganlzcrs have snccrcd at
the charge that they seek to re-.
pubicani2c" the Democratic party;
and yet here we have one of the
leading Republican papers of the
west saying that with scarcely any
modification, the Ryan prcscnta.
ton of these issues could be
adopted bodily into the next Re.
publican platform without doing
violence to the views Of that party
Just as Democrats have repeat
edIy charged, this Republican paper
admits that that which the reor.
ganlzers propoes is II public con.
fcsslOn that the Democratic party
has been wholly wrong on every
prominent issue before the people
IN the last ten Yeas.
Just as Democrats have con.
tended, this Republican paper
admits that such confession ear.
rics with it the admission that the
Republican party has been wholly
right on the selfsame issues.
Just as Democrats have shown,
this Republican paper points ont
that there would be no reason for
the people to set aside the Repub-
lican party in order to put in its
place Democratic party that
differed from the Republican party
i'll name only.
Perhaps these reorganizers may
find consolation in the assurance
that if the Democratic party will
adopt a steady adherence to Re.
publican policies, it may earn
the right to Il larger participation
i'll the affairs of government. "
Perhaps this larger participa
ton" will consist of the privilege
of fat offices and of productive
special privileges to be bestowed
upon few individual Democrats
who succeed in transforming the
Democratic party so that il will
not be serious rival to the Re.
publican party.
The comments of the Kansas
City journal upon Mr.. Ryan's
article ought to be read by every
Democrat who las pride in his
party. 1t must be evident to such
Democrats that the effort to reor-
ganize the party along Republican
lines must be defeated if the prin
ciples for which the Democracy is
presumed to stand are preserved.
When Democrats read in a Re