Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-12-07


that the vote has been very much
less than it was in 1900 counting
the regular ratio of increase i'm the
four intervening years. This was
a stay at home election. The
majority of tho people were salts
fed with present conditions. and
the majority of the democrats were
resentful toward the eastern democ-
racy which was responsible for the
defeats of the past two campaigns.
! They felt that the very men who
conducted this campaign had be-
treyed them in the past and they
felt no interest in this campaign.
While many of them would not
vote the republican ticket they
showed their resentment by stay
ing at home and having nothing To
do with the campaign. A member
of Congress from Missouri who
went down in the. avalanche in his
State told me how this resentment
worked out there. He said that
Bryan had oceans of people to hear
him speak in that State and when
some of the rank and file who had
been democrats all their lives and
had twice Loyalty supported Bryan
were asked about his speeches and
his advice to them to vote for
Parker and the whole democratic
ticket, they would answer: That's
all right, Bryan has To be regular,
but we do not" That tells the
feeling in Il nut shell and it worked
the same way in every State in the
Union. They felt that the two
parties were too much alike and
that there was no room i'm this
country for two republican parties.
They believe in democratic urin-
ciples and democratic methods in
the interest Of the whole people
and when the democratic party
becomes democratic and fights the
peoples battles then they will all
gladly support the ticket and the
party will win battles.
| believe | said in this correspOn-
dence away back last spring that
it would be useless to put up
negative and colorless candidate
against Roosevelt. | said it because
was here on the ground and was
watching events as they shaped
themselves and because | saw the
trend to Roosevelt of many ele-
ments Of strength simply on &C
count of the fact that he was siren
uous and did things with a swish
and a sweep that is very pleasing
to the average American citizen.
What we needed then was a man
who was just as radical and as
strenuous rs was Mr.. Roosevelt
and who would promise 10 the
people that if he was elected he
would swat the trusts hip and thigh
and stop their robbery Of the peO-
pie. That was the real issue in
the campaign and it seldom was
referred to by the speakers in
favor of the democratic ticket.
They seemed to confine their YER
bal pyrOtechnics TO the two sub
jects of the Panama Canal and the
Philippine question and there is
not vote in either question for
the democratic party. The people
of this country are land grabbers
and when they once get hold of a
thing, it makes no difference how
1t Is obtained, they are going to
swing to it and they will repudiate
any party that comes along talking
academies and advising to turn it
loose.
If the democratic party has not
learned this lesson from this cleo
ton then it has the poorest leaders
at It's head that can possibly be
conceived of in this or any other
country. The South was respon-
sible for the nomination of Parker
and the conservative campaign
that has been made with such dis
astrOus results.
1t remains to be seen whether it
will still maintain its alliance with
the East or whether there will
come another reorganization of the
party along radical lines and a
coalition of all the radical elements
of all the parties in the country.
The great vote for Debs, the
socialist candidate, is a straw and
1t has become a factor that will
have to be reckOned with in future
IN the make up of the new battle
force against the forces of en-
trenched privilege in this country.
Now that Roosevelt has been |