The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-14
Tuesday February ID. 1905.
POLITICS MAKE STRANGE Bed
FELLOWS.

ITlSfS WAS d mecIlHS Oh IIt lIkIuOf~-
-of-thc-road popuhsts in Newton u
day. Mr.. p. G. Herman tells us that
the main subject discussed was the
dissemination of literature and keeping
the objects and doctrines of the party
before the people.
The above from the Newton Enter
prise sounds like old times. We must
confess that the announcement was o
great surprise. We did not know that
there were any "'side-path' ~populists,
much less middle-of-the-road fellows
of that persuasion left in this state.
With Messrs Bryan, Watson and Liv-
ingston all gone over to the Roosevelt
school we thought the woods had bean
cleared of the Simon-pure popuists.
n truth is the republican party of
today as represented by the president.
is about as good a popu1ist party as
the most rabid populist of a few years
back could desire. With THEM ideas
on tariff revision, national control Of
railroads little short of government
ownership of these corporations, bond
ed warehouses for storing farmers
products, an elastic currency, and other
similar measures advocated by the
populists the republicans AVE narrow
ed to the point of almost an invisible
line the margin separating the two
parties which only a few years ago
were considered as political antipodes.
The republican politioians-that is
those representated by the president
have about stolen all the thunder, not
only Of the democrats, but of the poou-
lists who broke off from the latter par
ty because it would not go a enough
for them in it's declaration Of princi-I
Piles on the points which ave until re-
GENTLY divided the two great parties.
In this connection it should be re-
membered that Mr.. Roosevelt has re-
Gently declared that he is and always|
he's been a Jackson democrat. We sup
pose that means more Of a. democrat
thar a Jefferson democrat
1t has beer the fashion of late fori
all politicians, no matter what theirl
views on the principles on which the
government should be run to declared
themselves Jefferson democrats. ThisI
l1Aull, III ~ AE,
embraces every kind of politics froml
the staunchest follower Of the old fed
eralist school established by Hamilton|
to the most rabid democrat. They are
all, according to their own views, JET
f%ersonian democrats. Were the ghostI
of Aaron Burr to arise today we sup-i
pose it would declare that Hamiltonl
was the only man who had ver lived
in the United States who was not al
Jefferson democrat. IN fact, the fashiGnl
is SO great nowadays to claim to bel
that kind of a politician and statesman
that VIZ would not be surprised if Mr.:
Burr's spirit, if called to the front to-I
day would confess that it has misjudg-l
ed its mortal enemy and now w'shedl
to make this late day amende by admit
ting that Mr.. Hamilton had alwaysl
been a Jeffersonian democrat. But the
republicans of Mn. Roosevelt's school oil
politicians have gone clear beyond JEFF
fersonian democracy and now SEEM
surprised to fine that the people havel
not always known that they were of
the Jacksonian school.
Tie people will begin to ask then-
selves pretty soon what is the use of
q democratic party any how if the re-
publicaIs are all such good democratsl
themselves. Why, they seem to be bel
ter democrats than the democrats
themselves. The people will begin tol
ask what is the use of electing demo-
Gratis to congress to form a. small mi
nority when. h republican majority
advocates all the principles that a:.l
embraced in the democratic platform.
They will say why not go with the ma
5ority, if they and the minority thinkI
the same way. 1t seems that we arel
ali democrats now. The only question:
is whether the one side or the otherl
shall have the credit for carrying outl
the principles advocated by both.
= is enough TO make a government
army mule laugh.
A editorial in yeSter5av'S Cbarlottai