Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-06-15
SUCCESSORS TO DEMOCRACY.
In a National Sense Nothing Resemb.
limo a Democratic Party,

Inter Mountain: The recent efforts
of the Iroquois club TO honor the
memory of Thomas Jefferson and to
revive devotion to Jenersonian prin.
ciples of government through banquet
speeches was not a marked success.
The Chicago Chronicle. which refus.
ed t. abandon those principles when
1t repudiated Organism, reminds the
participants in the feast and oratory
that most of them were far from
home as Jeffersonian Democrats in
their professions, u~tterances and AT.
filiations.
OF course the followers of Mr.. Bry.
an will declare that the Chronicle is
not Democratic. and point to its OBJ
position to his candidacy and his
platform as proof. II that be com.
petent evidence, the Chicago paper
Is guilty of desertion, but II makes
quite a case for itself, and presents
wholesome truths, worthy of consider.
alton by patriotic citizens in all par.
ties. in the following comments of
the banquet:
I'm plain truth the Democratic
party has been led for eight years by
men who despise the living faith of
Jefferson and who, so far as they are
guided by him at all, accept only his
errors or the most distorted frag.
ments of his philosophy. There is
nor in the Democratic preachments
OF the last eight years 10 remind one
OF Karl Marx and Louise Michel than
there is to suggest the tutelage of
Thomas Jefferson. Wherever Bryan.
ism exerts a dominating influence
We may find the very spirit of class
and caste. of envy and malice, of dis
contentment half subservient and half
menacing, which Jefferson thought he
had eliminated from the republic by
the diffusion of Democratic equality
and justice.
IF the men who partook OF the Iro-
quois banquet had been called upon
10 write a statement of Democratic
principles to which all would sub
scribe they would have found the un-
dertaking an im%possibility. A mixed
assembly of partisan J%effersonian
Democrats and Republicans could go
farther in the direction OF formulat-
ing a common political creed than
the lroquois guests could have done.
This does not indicate, as some
people may infer, that there are no
distinctive Democratic principles, nor
that Democrats are ignorant oncern
ing them. 1t merely proves that in
the conglomeration which now passes
under the Democratic name there are
all manner of evil thinkers and evil
doors. most of them corrupted either
by selfshness or by association with
the revolutionists of continental Eu.
rope, who not only are not Democrats
but who are deadly antagonists of
Democracy.
These men are in the Democratic
organization for the reason that they
find II a convenient place from which
TO make wal upon every Democratic
Republican principle and from which,
in time, they hope to make war upon
the republic itself. They deny Dem.
ocratic doctrine and they SANDER the
men who uphold Democratic doctrine.
So long as they can control Demo-
cratic organizations and policies they
will be content to call themselves
Democrats. When they can do this
no longer they will boldly proclaim
the social Democracy, with lnterna-
tional connections, no doubt.
Some of the men who listened TO
the eulogies OF Jefferson the other
night long since found Jefferson hate.
ful. Having lost respect for him,
what must have been the sentiment
which they entertained toward the
orators who. ~eloquently upholding the
theories of the founder of the Demo
cratic party, did not venture TO apply
them to the political situation as it
exists today?
There are millions of Democrats,
but they have no organization that is
not as truly a populistic or a social.
istic organization. In a national sense
there is nothing resembling a Dem
ocratic party. That which goes by
the name is a mere fusion represent
ing in some places a lingering polit-
ical habit, in other places race pre-
JUDGE only, in still other local aggre.
cations of spoils seekers. and. finally,
in nearly all places, a new force born
of ignorance and vengeance which
looks with covetousness upon the pos
sessions of others and with rancor
upon all who incline to peace and
good order.
The Republican party has many
offenses to answer for, but it does not
lie in the mouths of Democrats to IN
dict it for its misdeeds. nor to pro.
pose to move upon 1t in hostile array
while these conditions prevail in their
own household. The first duty Of the
Democrats is to clean house. The so.
cialistic rubbish is all about them.
1t will lot leave upon invitation nor
as a result of gentle hints. 1t must
be kicked out in such m as TO
convince all who may witness the OPP
Grafton that the Democrats and not
| the rubbish are tn remain