Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-10-01
BROKEN PROMISE CASES.
Have Not the People Grounds for
Damages Against Democracy


A Denver man has sued a restaurant
for damaging his stomach. He says the
restaurant solicited patronage ON the
ground that il served good food, but
that the promise was not fulfilled. The
food, he asserts. caused stomach trou-
BILE from which he suffered greatly, and
he fixes his damages at several thou
sand dollars.
This case will be watched with inter
est, for ii opens a new field in the dam
age suit line. 1t is usually easy to Sc
cure compensatory damages for losses
caused by broken promises. when tho
plaintiff has written contract TO back
up his demand, or il he has witnesses to
n verbal contract. but it is not always
possible to secure redress when the
promise is OF such nature as Is alleged
10 have been made by the Denver res
tauraut.
Suppose the Denver man had won his
case. An avalanche of damage suits
might follow. Business men who forget
engagements, girls who wait vainly for
lovers that fail TO come. borrowers who
neglect to repay small loans, politicians
who promise and forget. and political
parties which bid FOR votes and never
meet their obligaiions-all these might
be liable for damages II the Denver
plaintiffs suit is sustained.
And what a mountain OF cases might
be piled up against Democracy IL the
statute of limitations did NOT prove 20
be bar, Who will ever forget the
woe and misery, the distress and starya-
ton that came with the Democratic days
of 1898 to 1897? Industries hnguished
and trade and commerce generally were
| naralYxaI Millions of
were either rendered idle or put ON short
time The streets ef the cities swarmed
with unemployed. and soup-houses were
| established to feed the hungry. Once
happy homes were turned into places OF
| squalor, where hunger pinebed mothers
sat trying to still the cries OF ili-nour-
ished babes. and where gaunt. sunken-
| eyed men brooded over their inability to
| obtain work
And what caused these distressing
conditiousf In the campaign of 1892
| Democracy was lavish with promises.
| The Republican policy of protection was
a great evil, the Democratic platform
said. The people were urged to try free
| trade or a tariff for revenue only. Great
blessings would follow abolition OF a
| protective tariff. Democracy said. The
people were misled by these promises
and Grover Cleveland was elected. Then
came the German Wilson tariff bill and
with II general depression and panicky
conditions. These conditions prevailed
until the Dingley act went into effect,
and huge wave OF Republican pros
perity began to engulf the country.
Ii the Denver man has grounds for
redress, have not the millions who suf-
fered by reason OF Democraey's vision
| AIRY and broken promises just grievance
Their monetary losses were enormous
and their sufferings beyond financial
| reparation.
And Democracy is again making prom
ises. VIII the victims OF 1897 listen
to the political sirens who are singing
the song OF ruin. in honeyed words and
besuiiing tones? Not IL they stop and
| consider the past.
| Democracy has nothing but its past
record to stand on. and that record is
sirewn with heaps Of broken promises.
blasted hopes. dismantled factories,
throttlei Industries OF all kinds. bank
rupt stores and wrecks and ruins gener-
ally.
No candidate il greater than his party.
and it is certainty that il Parker
should, by any chance, be elected his
administration would be Demncra tic, and
Democracy never has conferred u real
benefit on the people.