The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-13

racy enthusiastic behind the standard
and victory once more possible.
MOuthpiece of Common People.
1t will disabuse the public mind Of
the idea becoming prevalent that
Democracy needs a panic to have a
victory. We will have victory when
ever we become Democrats again. We
will be Democrats again when the par
ty again becomes the mouthpiece of
the common people, crying out against
the unjust and unfair advantages that
the money barons now have.
There is no denying the fact that
much of our present trouble grows out
of the lack of intelligent leadership.
The Republican party has been mas
terribly led. Their leaders can lend our
leaders brains and still have enough to
do business on for themselves. With
artful skill they have obscured and
avoided the cardinal issue of this cam
paign by an aggressive attack upon
Democracy, upon a number of collat-
eral issues. Not only is this true, but
in these collateral issues they have out
generated and out-maneuvered us
whenever they saw fit.
They have taken the popular side of
most of these propositions and Demo-
cratic leaders have. in the most docile
manner, just to be on the other side,
taken up the unpopular view. When
ever by some good fortune, rather
than by good judgment, we have been
on the ri=ht side of these minor is
sues, the Republicans, with their ears
always to the ground, have been smart
enough to find it out, and take the is
leaders, purely in "a spirit of antagon-
ism, would Immediately take the other
side. In fact. we may safely say that
Tor years Democracy's course has been
north east, south or west at the will
OF smart Republican leaders.
A Leader Badly Wanted.
We sorely lack at the helm of our
ship some big, broad-minded, safe.
sensible, Astute, patriotic politicians.
The occasion is there. The man hasn't
appeared.
A reference or two will serve to IL
lustrate what l mean. The Spanish
American War was first advocated by
the Democrats. 1t was precipitated by
the Democrats. The Democrat leaders
claimed 1t to be their war and taunt-
ed Republicans because they were
dragged into it.
Undeniably the Spanish American
War was popular with the people of
this country. Democracy gained
prestige by bringing it on. The war
was successfully fought and gloriously
ended. Immediately after this the
leaders of the Democratic party threw
Ice water all over an enthused Ameri-
can public by taking the extraordinary
position that this country should not
reap some benefit as the fruit of its
victory.
Whereupon the Republicans promptly
with audactty we must admire. claimed
the credit for everything that was done
from the time the fleet set sail from
Key West until the treaty of peace was
declared. The Democratic leaders lost
sight of the fact that our party was
entitled to any credit whatever and
spent their days and nights in useless
crltlclsm,-conJuring up some consti-
tutional bug-a-boo which they thought
might interfere with their conscien-
tious scruples in framing up a treaty
of peace.
Panama Canal and south.
The project of building the Panama
canal by Americans with American
money originated with a Democratic
newspaper and was taken up by Dem
ocratic leaders. AS soon as the Re-
publicans saw ii was a popular idea
they promptly adopted 1t and carried
1t to successful conclusion.
The canal is now an assured fact. It
will belong to us: 1t is the greatest
step forward that civilization mas
taken in centuries. To the South II
means untold. boundless possibilities.
The people. to a man, were enthusiasts
tically behind the project The Re.
publicans were smart enough to see il
and give the people what they wanted
But 1t seems that small coterie OF
Colombian dictators, thieves and graft
ers banded together to hold up the
American public. How and why they
failed in this thieving effort. tht
American public doesn't care except tic
commend those that prevented the
| theft. 1t is enough to know that the
great, international, unselfsh project
| for the benefit of the human race Is
assured without first paying tribute
to Colombia's aggregation of grafters
The Democratic leaders in Congress
promptly took the unpopular side OF
the popular movement. They ascend.
ed high plane. They hid behind con.
scientious constitutional scruples. II
the face OF the denial of our owr
/ American government of any compile.
ity in the Panama revolution. and
without scintilla of evidence upor
which to base a charge so grave. they
Old all they could to thwart this great
beneficent project, upon the idea thai
our people had not treated these graft.
ers right.
Priceless TO Mankind.
As a matter OF fact that great
American, public knows that Panama
is but miasmatic swamp. II deals out
death. II is utterly useless to IN,
thieves and grafters who claim Il
own IT. 1t is priceless to mankind.
II the President used forced in &C.
curing the right of way for this ca.
nal, for one would not fuss witt
him about II. We paid for the priv.
ilege an amount In excess OF its value
Mankind needs that strip OF land. TIL,
American public to-day thinks n
would have been justified in a lega
innovation by declaring that we tool
this territory by right OF lnternationa
eminent domain. And yet the records
show that the Democratic party lead.
ers antagonized this great project
Surely they had no just reason fol
such course.
For this last ten years we have beer
pursuing an irrational and illogica
course in our attitude on the none,
question. Some years ago, when time
were hard, II was essential TO business
prosperity that there should be an ex
pansion OF our currency.