The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-01-05

bert in The Independent OF December
15? | think his strongest arguments
for a conservative MISUNDERSTANDING
course are veritable boomeran2s. First,
if only the mid-roade Msg any
lively interest in t1a I'm ate.
why should this b NJ reason ~
ever for delay action? where
would the popu1 ! rarty be today han
no mid-road fganization been kept
up? Swall9@ed up in the NAV OF
democracY And if it is.wise to defer
definite ,A&ticn till the fusionists say
what s1|4l1 be done, how much valua-
BILE line, may be lost? And why
shQ1&d yopulist. work to spread econ
Ok truth and then barter away their
opportunities, prospects and organiza-
Hon Tor the sake Of seeing another
party win on. our own layrels. when
there is no hope of ever seeing dem
ocratic victory? And. if victorious,
what assurance is there that the party
would fulfil its promises? Why should
any populist allow himself to be caught
with chaff?
Had the populists stayed in the mid
die Of the road in every campaign Tor
at the least forced the Bryan demo-
Gratis to accept Watson instead OF the
nnknown SewalD the reform forces
would be victorious today. Bryan is
better than his party; but when he
kemporized, and compromised in the
recent Parker campaign, he betrayed a
weakness that is objectionable. He
should nave bolted the st. Louis con-
Tentien outright and showed himself to
be for principle rather than party.
Now should the populists ssgive one
\ lnch TO party or leader who has
6sytWays put party first? What consist
ency would there be. after all the ex-
perience with democracy, for the non
plists 20 sacrifice their party to give
victory to an old plutocratic party by
virtue of those very principles for
which democracy refuses to show the
least inclination to make supreme
above party? Shall populists make
principle supreme and show their de-
yotion to principle BY fusing them
selves out of existence to bolster up
party wreck that wOrsaipsS Its old
name more than it does anything else
except the Offices? A thousand
times MOI
II Bryan democrats are as devoted to
principle as are populists, let them
scuttle the Parker ship in which they
were betrayed at st. Louis last sum
mer and leave the wreck to the Hills
and Germans and Belmonts. as toy
for the 1908 campaign. These moguls
of plutocracy may need little diver
sion or rather they will need some No.
2 republican party to divert the at
tention of voters from the real issues
Ito divide them against themselves
Had Bryan shown the courage to bolt
at st. Louis there might be some rea-
son for waiting to see whether his fol-
lowers and Watsons followers could
cooperate, amalgamate, or unite for
ever as a new party. But what as
Surance have we. even if democracy
does survive the blow given it by the
man with the big stick, that it will
be able to make vigorous campaign?
The longer people must wait to find
out what the democratic party will
be in 1908 the less confidence they will
have in it. Why. in the name of rea-
son, should populists hinge their hopes
on what the two-faccd Janus party
may do in 1908? The democratic
Janus has helped to fight SO many
sham battles; can it be trusted any
longer-since the ST. Louis rape by
the safe and sane" crowd. who were
tired of being beaten?
Oh, the Offices, you know. And the
Offices will always be above principle |
with democracy, just as Bryan puts
party first and populist principles Sec
ond-and not all of them does he adj
vocate. His theory of state ownership
of railroads is an emasculation of the
populist doctrine-thn eternal truth |
on this point
Mr.. Gilbert says. eff some other
party gives better promise of accom-
plishing practical results" etc. 1t is
quite evident, from events of the past
six months, that the democratic party
can never be that 'other party" but it |
is the revived populist mid-road party |
If the populist party wants to promote
the growth of socialism, all it needs to |
do is to continue the hating, fusion |
DOlicy Of tna mast eight wears paonIa |