Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-11
Mastery Address to Young
Men at Oswego, New York.
STRONG ATTACHMENT
foACEFUL RECITAL OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY's HISTORY.
declared Its Leaders More Anxious for
an Issue to Win Than a Policy
to Advance Nation.

| dispatch from Oswego. N V last NIL.
s'SS' oswego gave Secretary Leslie M
Si.'" most cordial greeting tonight and
| age audience listened to his address Mt
| osoh Theater. The Secretary arrived
| 'i the west this afternoon and was rpst
| ny number OF leading republicans "A din
ner IN Mr.. Shaw's honor was given AZ 90,
1ohn l. Motifs home tonight fo,Ion,u,
winch public reception was held ,rd tho
secretary met hundreds of Oswego's work-
men. Many uniformed clubs from surrou,,a
ing towns held parade. and later eseorred
| In part: '-''
me only criticism I ever make OF the
opposition party Is that its leaders aIw,va
| nave evidenced. and still manifes, far
| greater anxiety to discover an issue on
! mcn campaign may be won than in for
M ta wise policies for the advancement
OF the nation in things economic or in w.
| ters governmental after thew shah ba,,a
| won their campaign ~
one of the grandest specimens of ameri-
| can manhood which 1t was ever nv pleas-
| ure to meet. but who I'm early life baca1,s.
| oL local environments. allied himself with
| .he opposition party and rendered his re-
treat weii-nigh impossible by accepting.
| from tirle to time, the highest honors with
| IN the gift OF his state. said to a friend of
mime during the campaign of 1900:
rarity Responsible for No Great Laws.
| II have spent my life in the service of
the democratic party, and now an old man.
/ look back and find on the statute books
| no law which has helped to make my coun-
| try what 1t Is that my party Is responsible
| for
| Platter not yourselves that only those
| VINO follow the flag on CORY fields and
those who are selected to representative po-
| sitlons can contribute to the perpetuity of
| our government OF the glory of the nation
AS patriotic courage can be exercised In the
nome, In the market places and In every
| ume or commercial and Industrial panic
as Wei as on the battlefield. so the same
J standard of patriotic craftsmanship can be
exercised at the polls as Is demanded IN
| legislative forums
| Very likely you have ere this observed
| that there Is less difference In the indiyid-
| ual adherents of the several narties than
| In the parties themselves. II any of YOU
! young men are laboring under the i'm
| preston that. because there good and
Dao men In all parties. that therefore all
! pontical parties are about alike: or that It
| is by accident that one party IL wise and
the other unwise In a given campaign. 1
beg that you dfspel that delusion
Political parties stand for political prin-
ciples: and "A political principle is a definite
and definable economic or governmental
policy. When aggregations of men POSSESS
| Ing every possible phase OF political belief
but with such scant political conviction that
an accidental platform adopted by a bars
| majority. now for. now against and then
silent upon questions involving the happi-
ness of every home In the land. will control
| their fealty, 1t Is rather by courtesy than
| for the sake of academic exactness that
| they are still called political parties
Its Policy Of Evasion.
I'm 1872 its same policy of evasion re-
| suited in the following democratic resoiu-
ton:
honest but irreconciIable differences of
opinion with regard to the respective sys-
TENS of protection and free trade. we re-
nit the discussion Of the subject to the peo-
pie In their congressional districts
The last platform on which the demo-
cratic party scored a V Glory declared Ii to
be fundamental pr lciple of the demo-
cratic party that the federal government
has no constitutional authority to levy or
collect tariff duties except for purposes of
revenue only" and also denounced 'repub-
lican protection as fraud and robbery
of the majority for the benefit of the few.
1t thus declared the principle of protection
unconstitutional and its practice vicious.
Consistent with its policy of expediency
the democratic platforms of 1896 and 1900
were silent on the principles involved in
tariff legislation. The recollection of re-
cent experiences was too wildly In the
minds of the American people to make pru-
protective tariffs so soon: but no measure
Of prosperity or success under repubf can
administration need ever be expected to
call forth a word of approval of the princi-
pies and policies which have log caly. ir-
resistibly and inevitably brought the pros
perity.
This year. after a prolonged contest be-
tween the antagonistic elements of the
party, being unable to agree that the adop-
ton of the gold standard was wise soul
ton of the money question, and being ike
hat ha Free cO re
of silver would be wiser solution. ii was
deemed expedent that the platform be
silent on the money question. and that The
experiment be tried of again renounc.ng
protection as robbery or the many 10 en-
rich the few.
First Vote an Important Event.
when you cast your first vote is the best
time to escape like regrettable expert
epce. You young gentlemen. having lifted
yourselves for useful citizenship. viii fail
TO find within the ranks of the opposition
party sustained inspiration to the con-
tinued exercise of 0Dur best and most pa
trotic endeavor.
..That Individual republicans differ as to
the wisdom of certain tariff schedules must
be admitted. but they do not differ as to
tho constitutionality of protection as a
n -,ncinle nor the wisdom of protection
. Iolicy Every republican, likewise. be-
,ieves in the single gold standard, though
there be some difference of opinion to
The deta is of necessary legislation to make
the gold standard effective and efficient.
TLe republican party is united upon the
general policy of insular administration
within the Philippine Islands. though the
details of administration afford occasion for
deliberation.
.'The democratic party, on the contrary. Is
DIVIDED on the money question. the tariff
question the insular question. and every
other subject that can possibly arise. and
ttis dive, gence relates to the principles in
viewed as well as to the details of advisable
L. etslation young man of education
uupbt to believe something; and he ought to
know what he believes; and he ought to be-
Iieye the same thing during more than one
rompaien and he ought to maintain his
convictions independent of transitory party
platforms