Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-10-28

friends-no wizard o OF a seventh
son can tell what their policy is.
wha, they would do with the gov.
eminent II they were given II. Their
platform Is a set OF turbid and eva.
sive phrases. The utterances OF their
public men are shifty and self.con.
Trajectory. They talk OF a policy OF
adventure! have yet TO hear Of an
adventure so reckless and wild O. In.
trusting the fortunes Of the republic
to an aggregation like the democratic
party OF today--a fortuitous con.
course OF unrelated prejudices. We
can say tonight, what has so often
been said before In times OF far more
danger and stress than these, that
the republican party is the ship-all
else is the sea. II is the only Ger.
tainty In sight,
At every election we hear that
there should be rotation in office
that neither party should be contin-
ually In power. None Of US deny hat
there Ia some truth In this contention.
There should be occasional change In
the government; there may be when
ever two things happen: When the
republicans forsake their record and
the democrats get rid Of theirs. Again
| say we are not so silly as to claim
any individual superiority, moral or
intellectual, over our opponents. IL
would be absurd 10 say that nearly
half our people are devoid of the
highest civic virtues. But the simple
truth Is they are badly led. They
made a mistake. d~eplorable past all
computation, in 1860, and they have
not recovered from II yet. First there
was slavery extension, then secession,
then reputation, and ~populism and
free silyer-a hopeless succession OF
mistakes. II Is most difficult-we
hope Il will not be impossiblr-fo for
them to extricate themselves from
such a Serbonian bog. We all earn
estly desire the day when the two
parties may enter the lists under
equally sane and safe dealing. II is
painful to say that day has o yet
dawned.
There was a moment this year
when we had hopes OF a saiutary
change In the democratic attitude.
They were travelstained and unhap-
ny with their w~anderings in the Wild
erness In 1896 and 1900. They seem.
ed to have made up their minds that
free trade, reputation. and anarchy
were out OF date and unbecoming-
that they no longer appealed to the
public state. SO they tried to get as
near to the republican platform n
possible. Some OF their leaders ap.
parently intended, when they went
TO st. Louis. to say to the country:
We are just as safe and sane as the
republicans. We are for the gold
standard; for a reasonable tariff; for
restraining unlawful combinations
without injuring lawful business: for
self-governmcnt, not abandonment,
of the Philippines. But the instinct
OF laundering was too strong for
them. Az soon as they got together
the power OF the mass asserted II.
self. They turned down the gold
standard proposition. they declared
protection 10 be robbery, and came
out flatly for the immediate abandon.
ment OF the Philippines. Then they
tried to make up for this destructive
platform by nominating what they cal
led conservative candldates--for the
Presidency, a goldstandard. or at
least a ~gilt-standard. man, who had
voted for free silver whenever he got
a chance. and for vice-p President, a
Southern democrat. enormously rich,
who believed In protection.
With this harlequin ticket and tim
radical platform they have gone
to the country and little by little
their well.meant disguise has worn
into tatters and the party appears In
its old, familiar shape. Its reliance
as Of yore, on the Solid South,
which means an appeal to racial
hatred, and on Tammany Hall, which
means organized corruption. And re-
lying upon these two sources of
power, they claim the confidence OF
The country upon grounds that af-
'front.' the common intelligence and ia
.igue the derision OF the world. Is IL
not a sight for men and agels to
lee the Solid South. which exists by
OF lis notification OF the cons.
which promises Judge Parker
he bulk OF his electors through a
suppression of a vast majority of It's
attacking Theodore Roosevelt