Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-05-04
DIVISIONS IN DEMOCRACY.
the Old Is Fiercer Than
Ever Before.

The New York and Chicago JEFFERSON
day gatherings bring again TO the front
the divisions in the democratic party.
Ex-Candidate Parker, in the New York
assemblage, condemned new fads, :"
meaning. of course, the things for which
ex-Candidate Bryan. Mayor Dunno and
other democrats stand. He also en-
phatically opposed naturalization by
the federal government which is one of
the things that the other two gentlemen
advocate, says the st. Louis Globe-Dem-
ocrat. Mr.. Bryan. at the Chicago din
ner, spoke in favor of the ownership of
the great trunk lines of railway by the
federal government. and that of the To-
cal lines by the various states. In the
same tenor spoke Mayor Dunno. who has
the advantage of winning a victory on
this public ownership idea in its pre-
liminary phase. Il am glad that in the
city of Chicago" said Mr.. Bryan, the
democratic platform was broad enough
to include not only the public ownership
of street car lines, but the public owner
ship of lighting plants and telephone
systems"
Here is the irrepressible conflict be-
tween the old and the new democracy.
The new democracy controlled the party
campaigns Of 1896 ana 1900, nominated
it's ticket and framed its platform. 1t
was beaten badly at the polls. The old
democracy rallied in 1904, chose the can
didate and dictated the platform. Its
defeat at the polls was more oVerwhelm-
ing than the other faction encountered
in the preceding canvasses. There was
a gulf between the democratic factions
in all those campaigns. The gulf is
broader now than it has been at any
previous time. Such differences as were
shown between the Parker and the Bry-
an idea at the Jefferson banquets of 1905
are fundamental. One wants the federal
government to interfere with public
activities less than it does now. The
other wants it to take charge of other
and larger activities. There is no
chance for compromise or accommoda-
tion here. If either of these ideas is
real democracy, the other must be
something widely different. No party
can put the Parker and the Bryan ideas
on the same banner or in the same plat
form at the same time. One must nee
essarily exclude the other. One or other
element must be in the ascendant in the
party, and control its machinery and
name it's candidates.
Which faction of the democracy will
give the law to the party in 1908? The
Bryan and Dunno element undoubtedly
They represent the younger, the more
yirile and the more active section of the
party. Three -fourths or the ardent, en-
ergetic, forceful spirits in the democ-
racy stand behind the Nebraskan and
the Chicago mayor. Present indications
point to the nomination of Bryan three
years hence Other men may come to
the front in The interval who may have
more attractions for the democracy than
are offered by its old leader, but the
Bryan idea is sure to prevail in it's ma
tional convention. The radical section
of the party will be supreme. That
2,500,000 of an adverse plurality will
shut out the conservative section of the
party from the control of conventions in
the near future. The Cleveland Parker
element has had its day, and the other
side must now be allowed to take its
turn at the front. Chicago and New
York, in their Jefferson banquets, repre-
sent the two diametrically opposite
schools into which the democracy is di-
vided. The line of separation is as broad
ly marked as that which asserted itself
in the Charleston convention 45 years
ago, with the important difference that
the democracy lacks the tremendous
momentum and prestige which it pos
sessed then. He would be bold man
who would fix any date in the future
1912, 1916 or any other time-when there
would be a prospect for the democratic
party to secure the support of major
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