River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-09-15

Shareholder IN his efforts to perpetuate
the institution of human slavery and to
extend slave labor at the expense of free
labor The sacrifice of principle neces-
STATED by this relationship led to rapid
decay. The party ceased to produce
great leaders. Men of conscience aud
courage like Thomas Fl. Benton, left
it. The significance of this period is the
illustration it gives of the disastrous re-
! suits of betrayal of principles, to the
| morals, honor and usefulness of party
The people have not trusted the Demo-
| cratic party since, except during the two
| brief nightmares Of the Cleveland ad-
ministrations.
Party's Shameful Record.
Founded on the wrong side Of moral
and political ethics, it spent the first
sixty years of its existence along the
| lines of ACKNOWLEDGMENT and narrow
| partisan legislation. While protesting
in it's platforms to be the friend of the
masses, it persistenly enacted laws
which bound them to penury and dis
tress. While publicly advocating a
broad, intelligent citizenship, it voted
| against individual freedom. While beat
ing the tom-toms for prosperity to the
| people, it voted against cheap postage,
the Homestead law, and the Resumption
OF Specie Payment. Claiming to be in
| favor of a higher standard of living for
the workingman, it enacted free-trade
measures which sent him into indefinite,
enforced idleness, and reduced him and
| his family to the level of the pauper
labor Of Europe. Processing the utmost
patriotism, it gave all possible aid to
| the rebellion.
Some Comparisons.
Contrasted with the grand old Repub-
| lican party: the one abolished slavery,
the other upheld it to the last; the one
| put down the rebellion, the other sup
ported the rebellion; the one preserved
| the National faith and credit, and paid
| the National debt, the other tried every
| scheme and expedient to stultify the re-
| public and avoid the debt; the one pre-
| served the standard of value unchanged,
| the other sought to tamper with it and
| destroy it.
Gets Worse Instead of Better.
The professions and promises of the
Democratic party, during the past forty
| three years, and the absence of all per-
| fcrmanee are as notorious as ever They
show the lack of ideas, or purpose, but
abound in hypocritical dogmas and
| fiatulent pretenses. 1t has reversed
| itself on almost every important Ma
| tional measure and brought upon itself
| the ridicule of right-thinking people.
| Apropos of this deplora BILE condition in
| the party, "Mr. Dooley" proposed the
| following want ad., little while before
the st. Louis conventions:
"WANTED-A good, active, energetic
| Dimmycrat, sthrong iv lung an limb;
must be in favor iv sound money, but not
too sound; an anti-impeeryalist, but FIR
| holdin onto what we've got; an inimy of
| thrusts, but a friend iv organized capital;
| a sympathizer with tn crushed an down
| throdden people, but not be amy means
| hostile to vested INTERESTS; must advocate
| sthrikes COVER mint be injunction, free sill
| yer, sound money, greenbacks, a single
| tax, tariff f'r rivinoo tn CONSTRUCTION
| to follow tn flag as far as it can, an no
| in Office an all tn great an glOryous
| principles iv our great an gioryouS party,
| He must be akelly at home in Wall street
| an tn stock yards, in tn parlors iv tn
| r-rich an tn Kitchens iv tn poor"
CIeve1andism and Democracy.
During Cleveland's administration our
| National debt increased half million
dollars day in the face of the party s
promise of better times. Each day we
| lost half a million dollars in foreign
| trade. During that administration the
value of farm products decreased more
| than five hundred million dollars. Dis
| trust and panic paralyzed the great in
| dustrial system of the country. Banks
| closed their doors; business houses as
signed; the balance of trade was against
US; capital withdrew from the fields of
| legitimate enterprise into secret places;
labor was forced into unwilling idleness;
we had deserted mills, smokeless facto-
ries, silent machinery. We had tramps
and beggars, industrial armies, starving
women and children. Two million able
| bodied. men were begging for work
| the opportunity to earn bread for their
| starving families.
Unworthy of Existence.
This happened during the administra-
! ton of the Democratic party which dur
| ing fifty years has added nothing to
progress, nothing to the cause of liberty,
nothing to freedom, nothing to the glory
| of our common country. This is the
party that, no matter what it promises,
always goes into partnership with calam-
| ity. 1t feeds on disaster and fattens on
| despair. The only time it has had con-
troll of this country during this gener-
alton, it shut the doors of industry and
clothed labor in rags. 1t fought under
the dishonored banner of free silver, it
| opposed keeping our flag IN the Orient,
and advocated that it be lowered in
retreat and trailed in the dust of dis
| honor. Such is a part of the record of
the party of calamity, professions and
| promises-the oft-defeated, discouraged,
| disorgapized. disgraced divided, decrepit
old Democratic party. 1t stands to-day
without an issue, without a principle,
without a policy, without a Platform,
| without a leader and without hope.
In closing we quote S. e. Ilisor, of
the Nebraska independent, who puts
| these words in Bryan's mouth as regards
Parker and his party:
Organs Position.
''Friends and countrymen, let's trust him
Though he's not a man to trust
Let's endeavor to elect him.
Though his cause is far from just;
I have put away all rancor
Ac 7 7