The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-11-13
WHAT Ais THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY


liberal principles. II must stop trying
70 please them in its platforms and its
nominations. 1t must adopt a definite
policy ~ which It is prepared TO stand
in victory or in defeat 1t must not
make its platforms TO catch votes. but
it must make the platforms It believes
in and then try to convince a majority
CT the voters that they Sre right.
Loyalty and Party Relations.
Mr.. Bryan absurdIy resented the
"disloyalty' of certain Democrats who
refused to vote for him and free silver
in 1896 and 1900. The question of 10y
atty has no proper place in party re-
lations. A party is voluntary aSso-
citation of citizens who think that GER
tain policies are best for the country.
A citizen who does not believe those
policies best naturally ceases to act
I with the party. A party that depends
I on discipline instead of on conviction
20 keep its members in line is. in bad
way. What the Democracy needs is a
body of genuine principles, in which it
honestly believes and upon which it
can make an intelligent appeal TO the
judgment of the country.
In boldly taking the liberal plunge.
/ the Democrats would have this fact 10
reassure them: The liberal party in a
modern country Is normally the ma
Jority party; the conservative party is
normally ia the minority. This is so
from the very nature Of things, be-
cause the people who profit by the
abuses which it is the mission of
| conservative party TO maintain are ne
| cessarily few in comparison with those
who suffer frOm%hose abuses. The con-
sentative party may often win cleo
hxrc
ership, money and opposition blunders,
but it never rests on the broad base
or popular sympathy and confidence.
The Republicans have been a minority
party in this country ever since the
close of the civil war period. They
We're minority party in 1896, when a
million gold Democrats let them into
power on a single temporary issue
They are minority party today. and
Theodore Roosevelt. Notwithstanding
the fact that he has received the votes
of hundreds of thousands of citizens
who have no sympathy with his polit-
zeal associations. is a minority presi-
dent. The Democrats. Populists and
Socialists. all anti-Republican elements,
could have beaten him easily if their
forces had not been divided.
What the Democracy needs is to find
some way Of combining most of the
citizens who are travelling in the same
direction and to cut loose from those
who want TO travel somewhere else.
Democrats, Populists and Socialists all
agree that the powers of government
ought not to be used to enrich few at
the expense of the many. The Populists
would go a great deal further, and the
Socialists further still, but there is no
reason why they should not ride on
=
But if they should find the car off the
track and humping toward the Repub-
lican terminal, naturally they would see
no advantage in boarding it.
Politics and Wealth.
AS true liberal party the Democracy
would have to expect a considerable
shrinkage in the available sources of
campaign funds. 1t would not, how
ever, be by any means destitute of rich
men. Not wealth. but the abuses of
wealth. would be in the line of its fire.
1t would be easy TO pick out half
dozen men, with fortunes aggregating
at least a hundred million dollars, who
wouldffeel perfectly ar home in party.
pledged to the equal enforcement of the
laws. the abolition of all partnerships
between the government and favored
capitalists, and the maintenance of the
public rights in every form of public
property, No man who would lobby for
tariff subsidy from the nation or steal
franchise from a city has any bust
ness in a liberal party, but the million
aire who is a citizen first and a rich
man afterward, could join such party
without finding his fortune any incum
brance
The difference between the Socialists
and Populists on one hand and a lib
eraliZed Democracy on the other, would
be the difference between theory and
an attitude. Socialism is cult, and it's
followers have complete system Of
dogma. Democracy, as practical gov
erning party, could have no thorough
going theory Its policy would have to
be opportunist. But it would have an
attitude-the attitude of sympathy with
all reasonable attempts to promote the
public welfare. This would determine
it's course toward each concrete propo-
sition that came before il. Suppose, for
instance, the question related 10 a par
GELS post. The Socialist would say: rs
this step toward the cooperative
commonwealth? II so, am for it."
The Democrat would say: viii this
promote the general convenience? If
so, 1 favor it," The Republican would
say: How will this affect the express
companies? If it would cut down their
profits / am against it,.
Such questions as those of the tariff,
the income tax, and postal savings
banks and teiegraphs. would be met
in the same spirit. The Republican par
ty would always inquire first what eff
feet any proposition would have upon
the corporations. trusts, and other
financial interests whose agent it is.
The Democracy would ask whether the
plan promised public benefit OF not.
Under these conditions it could count
upon receiving the votes of most
thoughtful Populists and Socialists I'M
til il reached the point where their
roads diverged.
Still, it must not be imagined for a.
moment that the late election was a
test of the comparative strength of re-
dictionary, progressive and liberal SEN
timent Ina the United States. Not only
were liberals divided among the Demo-
cratic, Populist, Socialist and Prohibi
ton parties, but literally millions of
them voted the Republican ticket be-
cause they did not see any particular
attraction anywhere else. 1t was like
the Pierce campaign of 1852. when a
defiant Democracy trampled down a
spineless Wing and a hopeless Free
Soil party. 1t seemed then as if the
people had decided for slavery, but the
events of two years later showed that
they had not. They had merely toler-
ated the pro-slavery party for lack of
something better. 1t remains now TO
be seen whether the Democracy is to
meet the fate the Wing party met after
1882, or whether it is to seize its oppor-
tunity.
Some things are certain. 1t is certain
that the Republican party is not going
to remain without effective opposition.
1t would be monstrous incredible, that
I'm country of universal education ana
universal suffrage a group of unscrupu-