Evening journal., 1904-02-17
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE

TO the Editor OF the Evening Journal.
Sir The Jcffersonian. the local organ
of democracy (of one brand) makes the
astounding proposition that If Abraham
Lincoln was now alive he would not be
Republican but Democrat Of the Bryan
lepopulist stripe embracing all of the
lvagarles end ''get-rlch-quick financial
and industrial nostrums which have been
repudiated By the people in two national
lcamnaigns
Time whereof the memory runneth not.
democracy has habtually taken the wrong
side Of all public questions This may be
because the natural impulse Of the Re
publican party invariably impcls It TO
take up the right side and Democracy
must take the wrong side 10 make an
issue. A perverted moral sense and inabi-
ity 70 distinguish right from wrong. or to
recognize opportunity until Il sees its back,
undoubtedly better explains the frailties
and foibles OF the party OF mutiplexities
OF which Bryan is the hypnotic master
Stealing issues from the pouch. or plat
forms, Of Republlcanism. has ever been
the harmless practice Of Democracy. but
this Is the first recorded instance Of it's
attempt to appropriate bodily the name
ana fame Of Lincoln--the greatest OF Re
lpublicans-to bolster up its declining and
shattered fortunes. Henous as is the Of
fence, we are inclined to excuse the deed
on their plea that they badly need what
they tried to take
Stealing the livery OF Lincoln to serve
Bryan I'M
While alive, and abe to resent the base
SANDER Lincoln was never accused even
by his worat enemies, with dishonesty, OF
contracting a debt Of one hundred cents
and then, by trick of legislation, at
tempting TO pay ii for fifty cents; nor.
with sowinb the seed Of dis
trust and violence by assaillng the integ-
rity OF the courts and the sovereignty Of
the law. thus endangering the security and
liberties Of all To win few votes from
anarchists an a passing campaign
Would Lincoln. If alive, approve the
Democratic plot to dsfranchse the race
for whose freedom, physical and civil. he
lfought and died. ana this on the plea of
negro dominance IN "a State with only
six thousand negro voters as against near
Ily ihirty-hve thousand white voters?
They must be powerfully dominating when
six thousand negro votes can dominate
/ eighteen thousand white Democrat votes.
TO say nothing of nearly as many white
Republican voters. Lincoln was honest
land IL now here and asked to draft the
proposed Democratic disr8ncnisomeni
law he would write o. IAN act 10 iegis-
late the Republican party permanently
out and the Democrat party eternhny ln
lby outawing tho United States constitu-
don, because Democracy is ravenously
hungry and cannot Otherwise be ade-
Iquately fed
Lincoln could never have been q Demo.
craft for hc did not believe IN "fooling All
of the people all Of the time lie could
not have joined with that party in vocifer.
iousy shouting constantly against the
trusts, knowing. as everybody does. that
the hundreds Of existing and speculative
luusts are the legitimate children of De
lmocracy- born OF the panic condition,
lcauscd by the return Of Democracy L,
power in 1898 on the issue Of destroying th,
protective arn foundation OF industr,
land labor, ana their enactment of fret
Iuade law, causing the greatest panic ii
lhst7ry-for Lincoln was honest ant
.neVer tried to avoid a responsibility whicl