Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-09-08
sTRIkINo PASSAGES FROM
TOM WATSON'S SPEECH


have no words OF abuse for Theo-
dore Roosevelt. believe him to be a
full credit for having splendid cour-
brave, conscientious man. give him
age OF conviction.
How 10 It with the Democratic
party! Our political history has
never seen a situation 30 ludicrous
as that which the national Democracy
now holds. can understand how the
citizen can work for the Republican
party and vote its ticket with enthus-
iastic zeal. II the Republican party
represents his ideals of government,
then he is justly proud of 1t can justly
confide In It, for II has stood by its
principles through storms as well as
sunshine; and no matter how bad you
and may think its creed Is. we are
bound to admit that the Republican
party has a creed, is willing to fight
for It, is willing to cling to 1t in de-
feat, and continue to struggle for 1t
until victory comes again. But why
any human being should. In the year
1904, vote the national Democratic
ticket is something that passes my un-
tutored comprehension.
can understand why the citizen
could vote a local Democratic ticket.
! can understand how in some cities
and In some States that party may be
struggling to do some distinct thing.
which he believes ought to be done;
but in the name of common sense tell
me why any sane and sober citizen
should in this campaign vote the
national Democratic ticket.
What principle of Democracy does
1t stand for? What does 1t propose
to do for the people, different from
what the Republicans are doing? To
what point Is 1t directing It's line of
march. except to the Republican
camp? Surrounded by the Wall stree,
magnates who had financed his caLi-
paign for two years, Judge Parker
bided his time till the peril of the
two-thirds rule were passed; and
when 1t was too late for the conven
ton to retrace its steps-for even
the Democratic bosses require more
than fifteen minutes to turn com
pletely round in-he cracks the Wall
street whip over the heads of his
leaders, and with prompt obedicnce
the great Democratic legions were
made to furl their flags and reverse
their line of march.
The mass of the Democratic party
feel outraged at the way in which
their leaders have sold them to Wall
street l do not believe that the six
and half million men followed Bryan
with cheers on their lips and warm
convictions in their hearts. can now
be delievred like cattle to the Cleve-
iandites who knitted the ticket or bolt
ed 1t In 1896. believe that the
great majority of the men who voted
for Bryan are men of conviction;
cannot hope they will realize that
am fighting their battle now.
call upon the six and one half
million voters whose political faith
was crystalized in the Chicago plat
form OF 1896 and in the Kansas City
platform of 1900, and ask, What is
there in the Democratic platform for
1904 that bids YOU hope? What is
there for YOU in that platform?
What do you get out Of 1t? To what
entent does Parker represent YOU?
What is 1t that he proposes to do for
YOU? If you believe in Republican
doctrines, why vote for Parker? Why
not "go the whole hog or none" and
vote for Roosevelt? By what right
do the Democratic leaders undertake
to preach and expound to the Ameri'
can people any economic questions?
How do we know that they have
studied and mastered any of these
questions?
Never in the world could It empha-
size itself on any Issue as II did on
the money question from 1896 to the
year 1904. II all the writings and all
Of the speeches which they maze
against the Republican party on the
money question were nut into printed
anu loducu hpoh
the backs of camels. the caravan
wuold stretch from one end to the
other of the Great Sahara Desert. Did
they understand the mohey question
II not, how do we know that they
understand the money question? In
their campaign OF 1896 the Democratic
leaders say: I'VE are unalterably OPP
posed to monometahsm."
Do the Democratic leaders suppose
for one moment that the voters oi
this coutry are going to forget the
history OF the past eight years? Do
they imagine for moment that, when
they stand in the attitude of confess
ing SO colossal blunder as they made
upon the money question, they are
going to be trusted on any other ques-
tionY again ask, did they know
what they were talking about during
those eight years. or were they simply
deceiving the American people?
The campaign has hardly been
opened before the standard bearer oi
Democracy commences his retreat
Therefore. the great tariff question
may be considered as waived" just