Amador ledger., 1904-09-09
A WONDERFUL PARTY.

ONSt OhC iSPOCei VI OilC N1ioSOuii OOA1I-
promise by a democratic congress.
This compromise measure was pass
ed in 1920, for the purpose of pre-
venting the extension of slavery be-
yond a certain we'll defined line,
known as the So deg. 80 min. par
allel The slave holding south had
been able to control the national
legislation up to that time, with the
assistance of northern democrats.
They fondly dreamed that they
would be able to retain political con-
troll. The country was growing
apace, but the drift of population
was strongly tending toward the
free states and territories of the
north. The politicians of the south
realized that the power was slipping
from them by the creation of new
states and territories north of
Mason and Dixon line at faster
rate than could be Offset by probable
new states to the south of that line.
Face to face with this problem con-
gress violated the compact by pass
ing bill to permit slavery in the
territories of Kansas and Nebraska
if the people of those territories so
elected, Beyond the more pressing
object the bill contemplated throw
ing the vast territory of the north
west, yet unorganized, open to the
slave traffic. The anti-slavery spirit
of the north was thoroughly aroused
by this movement. In 1854, on the
issue then squarely joined, the re
publicans swept the north, securing
strong majority in congress. Six
years thereafter it elected its first
president in the person of Abraham
Lincoln. For fifty years the repub-
lican party has held control of either
the legislative or executive branch
of the government, except for two
years under the Cleveland regime
of 1894 to 1897. For nearly 40 years
the republicans have held the con-
troll of both branches of the govern
ment. During the period of it's as
cendancy this country has advanced
in material wealth and moral in
huence as no other nation has pro-
gressed in an equal space of time in
the worlds history. Every step in.
this wonderful march of progress is
traceable to the republican party.
Its record is before the people, and
there is little to apologize or defend,
and much to be proud of in that
record. A perfect political party
never has, and never will exist. We
cannot hope for this any more than
we can expect perfect church, or
any other human organization. There
cannot be perfect product out of
imperfect material. As humanity
at its best is imperfect, hence all
human efforts must be tainted more
or less with imperfection A politi-
cal party in continuous power for
nearly half century will naturally
draw to itself many of the self-seek-
ing, adventuring class of politicians,
whose controlling motive is self
aggrandisement. Barnacles of this
character will attach themselves to
any progressive party. The party
must not be judged from them, but
rather from the principles and poll
cies championed, and the achieve
ments accomplished in the carrying
out of those policies. And it is by
this standard that the republican
party challenges comparison with
any other political organization in
this or any other country. The
abolition of slavery, the fostering
of home manufactures by the es-
tablishment of protective tariff,
the homestead law for the settle
ment of the national domain by
actual ome-builders, the adoption
of a sound banking system and the
gold standard, are the chief factors
of the progress of the United States
in the past fifty years. And every
one OF these progressive measures
was placed on the statute books in
spite of the bitter hostility of the
democratic party. During republi,
can supremacy the population of the
United States has more than trebled
the value of farm property has in
creased five-fold; the amount paid
in wages has increased en-fold; the |
value of home products has increas-
ed twelve-fold; the wealth of the
country is more than twelve-fold |
greater to-day than it was fifty
years ago. In the presence of this
unparalleled record of progress the
carpings of the democrats seem
purile indeed. The only backward
steps in the past half century have
been taken under democratic con-
troll. Young men who are about to
cast their first vote and naturalized |