Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-10-15
The Political Forum.
W. F. johnson and S1ilton L. Oeasey dis
cuss the Issues of the Campaign.
Three Important Issues.
BY WILLIAM +. JOHNSON.

| BY WILLIAM +. JOHNSON.
To attempt to discuss this political
campaign in brief newspaper article
is difficult undertaking. So fruitful
is the matter of discussion that shall
hardly more than hint at the divergent
points between the two great political
parties, as they stand to-day, arrayed
against each other, with little attempt
at argument.
In the first place. we are informed
that the Democratic Campaign Book
contains. as preface, the full text of
the Constitution of the United States.
This is an appropriate. and likewise a
refreshing suggestion. There was a
time when all our statesmen loved to
refer to the Constitution, and when it
formed the mainstay of their action.
Democracy has ever chung to it as the
sheet anchor of our political liberty
One of our greatest Presidents and
wisest of statesmen. (Mr. Roosevelt to
the contrary notwithstanding }, declared
that ''under the provisions of the Con.
stitution he could find resources of
wisdom, of virtue, and of zeal in which
to rely under all difficulties. The first
issue, therefore, raised is. Constitution
versus Imperialism" exemplified in
person by the respective Presidential
andidates-Parker. the calm, cautious,
! deliberate man of law; Roosevelt, the
strenuous. sensational. adventurous
man of uncertainty.
The question of next Importance is
the Tariff and the Trust" rightly
linked together. for the former is but
the foster mother of the latter The
Democratic party. OH this line. is but
following its time honored doctrine of
tariff for revenue only, holding that
the people should be taxed for the
actual expenses of the government,
economically administer, d; that the
instant resort is had beyond this in
levying money from the packet of one.
simply to enrich another, il LENDS
government sanction to highway rob.
berry, pure and simple, and becomes
government of paternalism. a living
illustration of the effect of high tariff
under Republican rule is afforded in
| the sad spectacle of the grea; and ever
increasing disproportion in the distribu-
ton of wealth in this cou:.try. H. the
maddening riot of excess. the tariff, in
stead of being lowered as infant in
dustries grew strong, has constantly
grown higher; now. so high that if
Henry Clay, the great tariff apostle,
could return to life he would be amazed.
So unpatriotic, selfish. and cruel is it in
its effects that we behold articles manu-.
featured i'll our very midst, transported
three thousand miles across the sea. and
sold to foreigners at lower price than
we at home are permitted to purchase.
That this high tariff is maintained in
the interest of the wage Garner, is pure
sophistry. No wage comparison can be
made between this country and Europe.
for other apparent causes, while in
Europe we behold the wage Garner of
free trade in England far above his
brother in the tariff countries of France
and Germany. Furthermore. no ad-
vantage can come to the laboring man
by an increase of per cent in wages
with corresponding increase of nearly
80 per cent in cost of living, such as
reliable statistics show.
l have mentioned but two issues,
sufficient of themselves, to convince any
reasonable man of what his true course
in this campaign should be. but there
are others just as great, and just as
convincing which have not the time
nor the space to consider. In passing.
it may be said that Mr.. Roosevelt, in
the race question, has, through his
narrow prejudices and bigotry .rekindled
the flames of sectionalism. and done
more to set apart reunited country,
than twenty years of liberality had
cemented; and this, too. while posing as
the President of the whole people. His
administration has been so extravaganza
that the actual amount of expenditures
is now being withheld from the knowl-
edge of the people. that public indigna-
ton may not be incensed. With a
servile Congress of his own party. laws
and constitutional limitations have been
swept aside. Opposing the Democratic
doctrine that we have country of our
own great enough as jefferson exclaim-
ed. "a chosen country with room
enough for our descendants to the
hundredth and thousandth generation"
and that the prosperity of the country
can best be secured BY improving what
we have. we are now given to the sub.
lection of other lands and other people,
to what extent we know not.
The good old Democratic belief that
in time of peace the military should be
subject to the civil authority, and that
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