The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-01-12

Old Hickory, is ready to take the peo
pies side of every question withou
stopping to count the cost or rfeasur
the prospects of immediate success.
The partys position upon the 1abo
question is the only one consistent will
the party's purpose.
THE Gold Democrats blame the si1
yer plank for the defeats of 1896 ant
1900. | hope that no one will aim t.
make silver the scapegoat again. Th'
platform adopted last July was who'll,
silent upon the money question. Judge
Parker declared himself unqualified,
for gold, and nearly every silver Demo
crat prominently identified with recent
affairs supported the ticket in order te
secure the other reforms for which
Judge Parker stood, and yet the party
polled a million and quarter less votes
than it did in either of the two preced-
ing campaigns. While the increased pro-
duction of gold has increased the vol
ume of money, and brought in part the
relief that bin1etallis1l, would have
brought to larger degree, yet some
phase of the money question is always
before the country, and the irrepressi-
BILE conflict between the money power
and the masses can never be safely ig-
nored. Every now and then there is a
measure before Congress, the object OF
which is to conevrt about six hundred
million silver dollars into promises to
pay gold, and this is but step in the
plan to retire the silver dollars and to
leave gold the only standard money.
When the plan is complete, legislation
which have destroyed all the benefits
which we have derived frbm the in
creased production of gold. ..-.5
Not only must the city own the
natural n,onopolies of the city, but the
nation and State must for the same
reasons follow the same course in regard
to the nonopolies that come within
heir sphere of operation" ~
"The party's position on imperialism
t1as been stated in two national plat
forms, and I did not see how the party
can recede from that position. Colonial
ism is antagonistic to the principles Of
a republic:
w. --,s--.:,;
"The party's position upon the trust
question is the only correct one. That
4 private monopoly is indefensible and
into1erable ought to be accepted as al,
.xiomatic truth, and a sincere belief in
that truth will lead o,1r nartg TO favor
legislation, both civil and criminal,
which will effectively protect the public
from the evils OF private monopoly. The
party's position in favor of tariff re-
form cannot be abandoned without con-
.eding the right of the government to
lax those who consume the products OF
protected industries, in order to enrich
the owners of those industries. 1t is
suggested that we are to have a tariff
commission to investigate and report
upon tariff revision, but as that COM
mission will ropert in favor of pro-
tectiye tarif or a revenue tariff, the
question must at last be fought out in
Congress, and the commission will
simply delay action without materially
affecting the result. The tariff cannot
we'll be considered without either a
large decrease iii the expenses of the
government of the establishment of an
income tax.
"The consolidation of railroads, the
giving of rebates, the making OF dis
the watering OF stock, the
charging of excessive rates and a cor
fuption of public oficials-all these are
combined to force upon the public the
of the railroad question.
President Roosevelt is just now enter
ing upon contest for the regulation OF
railroad rates, and the Democrats ought
10 heartily support him in the position
he is taking. While am anxious that
the virtue of government supervision
and regulation shall be fully tried, ]
fird myself inclining to the belief that
public ownership is the only permanent
cure for the evils which have grown
out Of the management of the great ar
teries of trade by a few individuals,
Who have have only their own pecuriary
interests in view and who exploit the
public TO the extent that the traffic will
bear il. believe that Federal owner
ship of the trunk lines and the State
ownership of the network Of local rail-
roads will furnish solution Of the
problem.
ST is for the members OF the Demo
cratic party to deal with these and SIM
lar questions with the courage that Jack
son displayed in dealing with the ques-
tions which confronted that generation
That Democratic principles are sound
does not, among Democrats, at least
,dnit Of dispute, for they result upon
The belief Of the brotherhood Of man. 8
STATE FERTILIZER ASSDCIA-
TION.
@ The State Fertilizer Association held
( -. n.