The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-14
JUDGE ALTON B. PARKER ON
 FUTURE OF DEMOCRATIC PARTY

' ldIely III SIdVeTyt-IOTCeu dS it " as without time for recovery and that
 courage little less than superhuman.
 Maintaining the struggle with the the
 lem of our time, working under the
 most serious dificulties, courageous
 in the face of many discouragements ted the hopes, tine ideals and the tra-
 ditions of their country and the logic
 as well as the. heroism, of our na-
 ish as to ask why the Democratic party has been true to the South,
 in its time of trial, and why this at be because he knows little of history and less of human nature.
 Novel Methods Now Thought Neces-
 When we come to consider the po- litical conditions and times, we find
 that when new problems are to be
 met. 1t seems that the fashion mas
 to devise new ways. The old are not
 sufficiently striking. They lack in the
 dsasH Say S Sgssg Ws ssmes esge1 1bs In SIr Se early tbs
 government, like the individual. mind ed its own business But this is out
 to se se Tsy bY for
 ence or meddling. This. takes the
 form of dealing vigorously with for
 eign, countries-only provided they are
 ingly to States until 1t is now insisted I that the general government must tax and manage all corporations, must oversee insurance and trust companies, and must either own the railroads or dictate to their owners the minutest
 details ot their business It is thought
 necessary to interfere with capital on
 the one hand and with labor on the
 other and to define tine relations they
 must bear to each other.
 l One of the most popular of all
 these processes is interference with
 elections: States must organize and l control the police of cities and dictate
 even the smallest of their policies; l to the competitions of business. As | the process goes down, interference
 with harmless personal customs and
 habits seems to be only natural and
 Resistance to Dangerous Tendencies. Now, we do not resent these things
 they are old-as old as tyranny it.
 self. We know that, as people,
 such promises must be redeemed in
 the currency of aggression, of cen-
 and. finally. in loss of liberty. We l can but recall our own national his- | tory and conclude that, after all, the
 Gividua S to 0 keep pe1P'e o1t of tTouble is to avoid the thing sure to bring compli- :! cation. It can only do this if it f minds its own business.
 Much is said about the peaceable settlement of differences but. after all, by Keeping out of auarrels we may be able to avoid arbitration as well as war. Perhaps tlse most encouraging visible sign in respect to this persls- tent policy of interference, is that, in spite of outward appearances. in spite
 of royal statues In the national capi- fested from time to time in SD many quarters, in spite of messengers bear
 ing royal congratulations from thrones -.-ours Is still a popular, not an impe-
 rial. system of society and govern fnent.
 It will not only be our duty to re- sist these strange tendencies. so clear l as to show tbe method that Is in them, but we have more work to do. more far-reachlng reforms to promote, more
 Rnow os 5o nnt tRen ben cao to look the situation fairly in the face.
 In spite Of the hypocritical claims so freely indulged. the prostitution of our
 free civil service to a degree never be- fore known; the use of money in cleo tions, whether Presidential or State; the belittling or the misuse of the ju-
 ties and powers of the States; the ap-
 peal to the military spirit; the rain tenance or a vicious and unfair tax>
 ing system; the raising again of tho ! race issue in its worst form. and from the basest of partisan motives--all these must be understood, and when understood, they must be met with | abuses which surround them find pop
 uIar recognition and then rerorma- ton.
 Some Of the Problems to Be Solved. If we are to deal effectively with these various issues, whether in oppo-
 sition or in YDwsR, It will be neces-
 sary to have a real party with real nized principles. It Is not enough that 1t shall have a collection of fads- many of them useless and some of them dangerous and opposed to the hiCfOrfO nnSftinn of OFRaniZa ton.
 We have already had too many of
 these because It Is safe to assert of
 PoIiey u that "a, if t is radical t Is not
 not radical.
 It is necessary for us to remember that We have principles and traditions of our own and that every departure from them has landed us in defeat Nor can we take anybody else's poli- cies, ready made, however strong may
 be the outward clamor. They must square with our own principles. What may seem to be popular demands are
 sometimes not popular but mere mo- mentary crazes which sweep over the community only to sink faster than they rose. For many years, in certain parts of the country, the politicians in both parties kept their ears so closely
 to the ground that they heard the rum ble of the greenback movement: but 1t always brought defeat whenever this sound was given a party voice.
 We found the same thing true on a larger scale and with greater and more permanent loss, when we took up the silver question. And yet, of all single questions thus far in our history pre- sented as party issues this was the most seductive. It has had some war
 rant in history and made appeal to many forces in our politics. It had also the great advantage of being cham pioned by an honest and patriotic man, who was and Is perhaps the most per suasive political orator known to our
 history. And yet 1t swept our party out of power in every Northern Dem ocratic State, and they have remained
 in the Republican column ever since while the two border States which then turned against us for the first time have been retained by small and incon- elusive majorities.
 Recognition Of Thrift and Liberty. The lesson to be learned from this Is that, whether as American or as par tisans. we must struggle out of the treacherous bogs of opportunism and
 get back to the solid ground of prin- ciple. In doing this, the first and most important step is recognition of a fact inherent in our society, fixed in our sistent policy of the Democratic Party | from the earliest days. This is, that honest thrift the natural fruit of in- dustry. must be encouraged and pro- 1 noted.
 1 It ought to be clear by this that if
 we endorse, or accept. or even fail to l oppose, any policy which shall directly | or remotely suggest even the possibil | ttv of confscation. or which. by any | agitation so much as threatens the 1 measure of values, we shall arouse | the suspicious and invite the opposi ! ton of our people, whether their accu- 1 mutations are invested in farms, town ! | in In yG