Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-04-26

TO make a sensational campaign 10
win The democracy has only TO be it
self and 10 meet the people and the
issues frankly II should address IL
self not to passion and prejudice, but
to conviction. The country is turning
naturally to the democratic party; the
party must not rebuff the natural ten
dency.
That the country is undergoing an
epochal political change is not more
manifest than that the change is to-
ward democracy-a truth signally il
Illustrated by the effort of certain rad
ical" republicans. led by President
Roosevelt, TO readjust their party and
give il the semblance of a peoples
party: which effort only serves TO en-
phasize the fact that the democracy
is the only true party of the people and
the only vehicle for the expression of
popular will. The epochal change is
nothing more nor less than a rever-
sion TO fundamental principles of rep
reSentative government of which the
democracy is the essential embodi-
ment: and it is therefore the tradition
al. essential and fundamental charac-
Ter of the party which should be dwell
upon in the coming campaign. The
basic principle of government of, by
and for the people. of equal rights to
all and special privileges to none, and
especially the tariff principle, should
be forcibly presented-a recourse TO
these principles solve the great prob
lens of national life which now press
for solution.
The tariff principle is of the essence
of democracy: it is one of the great
constants as opposed 10 the variants,
which go to make up the body of doc
trine the essence. the thing called
democracy. And upon the proposition
that the tariff must be revised and
many schedules lowered. there is prob
ably a wider and more definite concen-
sus of national opinion than upon any
other one demand; while it is that par
ticular demand which the republican
party has the most definitely and pos
itively opposed In a word. the tariff
issue upon which public opinion is
conspicuously ranged. and ranged one
way II follows that the democratic
agitation: that there cannot be too
much agitation of that question. Tariff
iniquty is at the root of mOnOpilStic
evils. and the tariff issue is therefore
germane TO the consideration of most
present day problems: ii is at the basis
of most of the reforms Tariff iniQuitieS
explain corruption in hundred forms.
from improper campaign contributions
TO the bribery of Legislators and the
burying of electoral votes. The Ding
ley schedules are the evil bond which
uniteS monopoly and the political ma
chine: tariff robbery is the life blood
of the criminal alliance which is gov
eruing the country A campaign for
revision would strike the most compre-
hensive and sweeping blow at the cor
rupt regime, while the actual fulfill
ment of reform would virtually ami
hiIate the republican party.
Radical" republicans may bring
their faction To the semblance of demo
cracy as TO other principles than the
tariff. Assimilation will be difficult
and anything but convincing on the
score of the tariff. They cannot ac-
tuaIly change their tariff position with
ont ceasing to be republicans. without
aboliShing their main characteristic
and distinguishing mark; and they can
not fall in behind the democracy with
out becoming democrats. Thus. 1t is
difficult to discover any danger for the
party in dwelling upon re-
vision. The republican politicians can
not steal democracy's tariff thunder.
however successfully they may shift
their attitude
Let the democratic party make the
upon its typical elemental
principles. let it nominate man OF
stature who can be trusted for both in
tegrity and brains. and 1908 should wit
ness a democratic landslide quite
equaling the remarkable reverse OF
1904.
nd no Court