The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-21
po wr Mor prsrRvH TTf


 Faithful are the wounds of friend" said solomon. On the other hand t may be said that the proddings of an enemy are sometimes helpful Especially Is this true In political affairs. when an oppon- ent tells us unpleasant truths. for often we may thus be led to profit thereby. For example. the Minneapolis Journal says:
 "Bryanism. the Hearst candidacy. the
 strussle for control ea neswee,a, aln a.nrnan nnn l opportunism, the lack of convictions ano political conscience, domination of South 1 ern radicalism--all these things taken to- gether make 1t So impossible tneL ,So rhc 1 pat high tariff leaders of the Repuoh- l can party feel that they can defy wes- tern tariff revision sentiment ana tAke | chances on the revolt of the people against their over5earing ,sas sma to he touched at any point in any way inc Democratic party offered any assur- ance of having the capacity to conduct the affairs of the country witncut oas- the too highly protected interests In con
 gress and elsewhere would not dare to
 take chances which they do on such dis affection in the west ag would endanger 
 popularity of Roosevelt. enhanced now by the merger decision, on which the stand batter banks while scouting the prevail ing sentiment among western Republi- cans for tariff adapted to the present candidates"
 If we could deny these allegations and defy the allegater, we might take some comfort ffrom the fact. but how can we? Bryan Is going up and down the coun- try proclaiming the doctrine of intoier- ance and implacability. Hearst is trying to corrupt the party with money and newspaper notoriety. some professed Democrats are abusing Cleveland and Olney and all other Democrats. and from one end of the land to the other there are evidences of discord and bickerings and recriminations. Nowhere is there to be found evidences of that harmonious agreement which is essential to success.
 Is 1t to be wondered at that the leaders of the Republican party should feel en- couraged by these conditions. or that the supporters of the trusts should feel de- liant and determined? As long as there is discord among Democrats just that long will tho Republicans feel safe. and just that long will they refuse to give or promise any relief from the burdens of our present tariff system. However humiliating 1t may be to Democrats to be taunted with incapacity. and to be vir- tuaily told that we haven't sense enough to be trusted with the affairs of the country, with what force can we deny the charge while we are so ready to pull down those who are best qualified to lead?
 If Democrats ali over the country would turn the cold shoulder to Bryan. Hearst and all their kind. and all set their faces towards some man like Cleveland, Parker, olney. Gray,or another of their class, and show to the Republicans that our party Is determined to march together under one genuine Democratic banner, it would put a different face on the matter. Then our enemies would not feel so se- cure in their stand pat entfenchments. and would not be so arrogant in their determination not to suffer any revision or reduction in the tariff. They would po AtABhteHcu tstNO AAaktnS BOsuN cOuCes- sions to the well founded complaints of the great West. Then. even if Che Demo- crats should fail to win in the great struggle before them the people and the country would have some hope of relief from the burdens of excessive taxation. In other words. united Democracy could either defeat them or frighten them Into doing better than they have lately done. A disorganized Democracy can neither defeat nor frighten them.
 That we may not be misunderstood, we will state that everybody knows the Democrats in the Southern States will vote for any ticket that will be nomi- mated. Their votes are already assured. but great many more electoral votes than theirs are needed and these have to come from States which in two cleo tions have shown unmistakably that they will not vote for anything like Bryan ism or IIearstian