Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-03-18
WHAT IS DEMOCRACY :?
Some Ideas Upon an Unsettled Question by
One who Has Been There.

1t seems little egotistical that a
han dful of men, although they are
editors or defeated candidates, should
lay down the law to over 5000, 600 OF
voters as to what constitutes demo
crat. IT the Kansas City platform is
not endorsed in full the true demo
cratic principle is lacking. At that
convention the 16 to | plank was en-
dorsed by only one majority; are one
half of the members of that conven-
tion to be ruled out of the democratic
party? AS to winning. suppose we
get the silver state of Nevada with
three electoral votes and lose New
York with thirty-nine electoral votes?
Nine-tenths of the people in the east
are small farmers and factory opera
tors; many of them have small sums
in the savings banks-the savings Of a
life time they know that their money
is worth 100 cents on dollar; that 1t
is safe and they don't want it dis
turbed In '96 there was some reason
for more silver, but since then the
mlnts have coined both silver and
gold to their full capacity; and to
endorse the 16 to plank now is as
senseless as to add plank that Wash
ington was once president Of the US.
1t is an old and true saying that if
you have "too many irons in the fire"
some will get burnt. Elections have
been won on the tariff issue alone.
Now as the county has grown we
have Imperialism, Trusts and Tariff
which would seem enough to tackle
at one time. Some of our advisors very
mildly advocate government owner
ship of property, and it strikes me
that it is not exactly Jefferson demo
cracy. The scarcity of fuel and its
serious effects are not only admitted
bGt regretted; and will some one ex-
plain how, if man owns coal mine,
he can be compelled by the govern
ment to dig coal any more than far
mer to chop off 100 acres of timber or
plant 100 acres of potatoes when they
are scarce. If the government can
confscate land with coal on it why
can't they with corn on it. 1t seems
to me that the proper way would be if
our people are suffering for want of
food or fuel to supply their wants tenn
porarily at least at the expense of the
government and not by anthracite
methods.
Government ownership of rail
roads and telegraphs is another debate
able question. The first question is !:
where would we find man competent
to act as president of all this bust
ness of wealth? Our president is as
great rustler as we ever had, and he
has not yet found time from his official
duties to shoot Bear. Many railroad
presidents receive twice The salary
that Teddy does, and there is one
president of a little corporation is
said to receive twenty times as much
salary. The next question is the
tremendous political power in the
hands of one man; the next how can
the government own them unless the
present owners want to sell the'u?
The great uproar about r. RS. is
usually made by those who know no
more about the business than the man
in the moon. 1t has been said that
trade follows the flag. but our recent
experience is that sickness, death and
vast sums of money follows the flag
with no returns but the weeping and
sorrOwing of mothers and friends.
That trade, wealth and prosperity fol-
lows the r. RS. there is no question.
But few realize what r. RS. have
done for this country with their
energy and progressiveness they have
built railroads across trackless deserts
through and over mountains without
any immediate prospect of compensa-
tion. Where would have been the
great and prosperous states west of the
Mississippi had it not been for the
railroads? Now that they are making
some returns for their money is it
right for the government to take them?
and where could it get the cash to
buy them? That eXhorbitant charges
are made who knows? They have
carried passengers within the last year
at one cent mile; what reasonable
person complains at that. AS to their
other charges complainants as rule
know no more about it than they do of
the next world
Abe Jones.