Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-19

the broad ground that the people did
not dare displace them and turn over
the reins of government TO another
party. The republican party had cast
about in vain for some weakness of
the democrats that it could pound
away al during the campaign. II could
not attack democracy or its principles
and was forced TO face the public with
The ridiculous assertion that demo
cratic success would mean industrial
disaster. Had We reached that point
where the nation was afraid to turn
any one party out of power? If we
had, We might as we'll choose an en-
1eTOr and no longer battle for our
lights as free men. We owed it TO the
gray heared fathers who had been
ighting the battles of democracy for
half a century. and to the rising gen
Grafton also, TO the boys who would
east their first vote in November. to
carry on a dignifed. firm. sturdy. en-
Lhusiastic, honest and fair campaign:
to impress our friends that it was not
a disgrace to be a democrat.
Republicans Claim All Credit.
The republican would not give the
democratic party credit for any good
+ We were to believe the republican
jpell-binder his party was responsible
tOr the nation since it was in its swad-
Hing clothes. They forget that for
over 30 years before the republican
party was brought into being our cOun-
Try thTiyed under democratic domino
.=l hn
foundation upon which modern genera
ions have developed the grandeGt
.Ountry under the sky. Before the re-
publican party was born the democrat
&C party had brought into the union 35
If the states of this glorious union Of
ours.
There were grave problems that
shook the nation to the center of its
foundation for the people to decide the
coming November. Ii we would con-
slider sanely the conditions of the past
year We would discover that instead of
happiness and contentment, we had
seen more of suffering. more of discOn-
tent, of strikes, disorder and militar-
ism that ever before in the same peri
Cd during our history. outside of war
days. If this did not Indicate that there
VAS something radically wrong, then
the speaker failed to understand hui.
man nature. But there had been an
awakening. One could see it wher-
ever he went. The people were think
ing for themselves. They were going
to settle some of these problems this
year.
Ask a republican to tell you of the
glories OF his country. and Judge Wade
said he would point to the men of rich
IS. the cOrnering of fortunes, the
homes and estates of the rich Ask a
democrat, and he would point you to
the people. the men and women. their
enlightenment. their patriotism, as the
jewels of his country. The republican
party stood for the amassing of for
tunes. the Capitalization of wealth of
the country by the few. the cOmbina-
lion of industry, while the democratic
party contends for more equal dis
tributiOn of wealth and the products
of the country: il was made up of the
plain people, the party was fighting for
the plain people. and to the plain peO-
is to succeed. if they are to succeed.
at the polls month hence The rails
ing of the American flag was an in
SEPARATION to every citizen, republican,
democrat or pOpulist; they all loved it
and would fight for it. That grand
old flag has never been lowered But
Judge Wade could see clouds in the
distance. with an occasional flash of
lightning. There We're flames of dan
ger-capitalism. combination. militar-
ism. concentration. Were the people
of the land going TO stand by it. as
they had in the past; were they going
to protect and preserve it from these
perils? Judge Wade believed they
were.
Must Vote For Principle.
J. w. WEIGH was presented az one
IF the men who had grown gray in the
service OF what he believed the grand
est party ever conceived. Mr.. Welch
was happy in the thought that the
lay Of villification of men engaged in
~Gutending for what they believed right
politically had passed. Now the candi-
dates and speakers were occupying
themselves mostly in cndeavoring to
educate the voters to come around to
their way of thinking. He said that
the four men on the democratic and
republican presidential tickets had
held positions of public trust. They
were men of honor. all OF them. The
questions of this campaign had passed
beyond the man. The pcCDl" were go,
ing 10 vote for principle. Mr.. WEIGH
said every voter should vO;c every
time there was an election II was
;Ae duty OF the American citizen TO
vote. to vote intclligcntly. All that the
democrats were asking now for each
voter to study closely the questions
that were before the public. and not 70
believe all that he heard the Candi
date say. II he did he would be led tc
believe that the republican party had
caused the corn TO grow better this
summer than il had for a number OF
years The tariff was a matter that
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