Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-14
PARKER URGES
PEACE IN PARTY
HE MAKES SUGGESTIONS FOR
THE FUTURE
MUST COMBAT SECTl0NALlSM
Discusses Problems to Be Solved and
Declares That Organization Of
the Party Must Be
Thorough
MUST COMBAT sECTIoNALlSM
Continued from Rage oneJ

|
penditure of money and by demogogic
appeals to interests as wide apart as
the poles. We have left to us only the
smallest measure of power in either
house of congress. we have lost states
whose confidence we had long COM
manded, and the number of governors
and state legislatures under our con-
troll is surprisingly small.
We may, however, recall that this is
not the first time that the party has
been in what seemed hopeless minor
ity. 1t was so from 1860 until 1876 when
great wrong, which has been far
reaching in its effect upon morals and
Justice left 1t in minority for another
eight years, But, even when It's con-
dition was least encouraging, 1t was
still the same consistent advocate of
patriotic and manly policies as when
it was in the full plentitude of power
during the first sixty years of the last
century. Ralying about its natural
leaders-as courageous and patriotic
as any known to our political history
it was then, as always, its virtue to be
a national party. These leaders kept
themselves in touch with every ques-
tion of current interest in every hamlet
in the Union. Nothing American was
alien to them.
Some of the Problems to Be Solved
If we are to deal effectively with
these various issues, whether In oppo-
sition or in power, it will be necessary
to have a real party with real follow
ers, attached to real and recognized
principles.
1t is not enough that it shall have
a collection of fads-many of them
useless and some of them dangerous
and opposed to the historic position of
our organization. We have already
had too many of these because it is
safe to assert of a policy that if it is
radical 1t is not Democratic; if 1t is
Democratic it is not radical.
1t 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 poll
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
rumble of greenback movement; but
it always brought defeat whenever
this sound was given party voice.
The Silver Question
We found the same thing true on
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 his
tory presented as party issues this was
the most seductive. 1t 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 it swept our party
out of power in every northern Demo-
cratic 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 in
conclusive majorities.
Corporations and Trusts
My own recent experience in politics
does not incline me to favor overmuch
the management of some great cor
porations. But no student or observer
of economic conditions can question
either the logical development or the
necessity of corporations any more
than he can ignore their existence.
They are not the result of some blind
chance cropping about in modern in
dustry; they are essential features in
the growth of that real cooperation
which has done so much to change
conditions. Like all things human,
they have their evils, indeed, they have
their perils.
But, as we cannot be rid of them If
we would, and would not if we could.
it must be our part properly to enforce
the laws against them and their repre-
sentatives as we have done and must
continue to do against the individual
who does wrong. We have only to
look about us, in our separate COM
munities, to see that the great majority
of corporations are managed with as
much honesty as we are accustomed
to see in mundane affairs and the
punishment for offences against law
and morals-the punishment INSOFAR
able from failure and. loss-goes on
in these bodies as it does among the
individuals who constitute them or the
others who compete with them.
Growth OF Trusts