The National tribune., 1906-11-15
THE ELECTIONS.

ers-big and little-who found their old
arts and methods counting for so little.
The simple explanation is lack of
principles and ideas by political leaders
on both sides. The usual political
leader-small and large-thinks that
men vote the Republican or Democratic
tickets simply because they are Repub-
lican or Democratic; that the whole art
and science of politics consist in get
ting ones name on the ticket and then
hustling out all the votes possible. While
this is sound practical politics." it is
after all but small part of the actual-
ity, tho it is next to impossible to make
a practical politician" comprehend it.
Cecil Rhodes frequently exprest his
contempt for those fools who would
not learn that this world was moved
and governed by sentiment" What the
politician seems incapable of under
standing is that parties were not formed
and are not maintained to put this man
or that man into Office, but to bring
about the success of certain ideas and
principles which the voters wish to have
l..
march in torchlight procession. do not
give up their time and money to poll
ties. merely to have James Jones beat
Tom Smith for certain place. James
Jones or Thomas Smith may think that
they are the whole push, and that tho
people are so interested in the matter
as to do the most extraordinary things
to secure that result In fact. Messrs.
Jones and Smith are only too liable to
get this idea, and that is what has been
running both of the parties Both par
ties have in the past secured the devoted
attachment of millions of men by their
firm enunciation of certain principles
and their determined fight for the sue
cess of those principles. Men who be-
lfeved in these principles were capable
of making every effort to secure their
success, and they would give to that
end much more thought energy and
money than could be gotten from them
for anything else outside their families.
Of late years both of the parties have
been singularly barren in putting forth
new ideas, which the steady progress
of the country demands. Most of tho
old issues which formed the battlefield
between the Republican and Democratic
Parties have been settled so conclusive
ly that there is no interest in furthe,
discussing them. Secession is dead,
specie payments have been resumed, the
protective principle has become SO set
tied that no one questions it, the green
back issue is forgotten, the silver issue
is as dead as Cesar and so on.
Leaders and spokesmen of both the
parties have shown themselves much
too anxious to get into office to risk
anything like decided opinions-new
and progressive. They would not. even
if they had them, and most probably
they did not have either ideas or opin-
ions, outside of hunger for office. In,
stead they have been going on echoing
as if by rote, what they have heard in
other days as to Republican and Demo-
cratic principles. The people naturally
got tired of this damned iteration"
The past was all well enough, but it is
past, and there are new occasions and
parties must address themselves. The
only man in the Republican Party who
seemed to appreciate this and attempt
to bring the party forward to its old
progressive militancy was President
Roosevelt. The other Republican So
tated on the brink and finally plunged
into the water with him, but did it so
late that they got no credit for their
conversion to his views. The Demo-
Gratis We're even worse off. The only
man among them that set up for lead
ership-Mr. Bryan-showed a genius
for selecting absolutely the most hope
less propositions to bring to the front.
It is from this that Hearst gained his
strength. He had some new political
ideas, and therefore the people vel.
coined them. Mr. Hearst's IDEAS 1t is
true, were not his own, but were i'm
ported from Europe, where they had
been nurtured and developed by the
German and Russian Socialists. but
they were at least new to Americans
and somewhat acceptable on that ac-
count
While it is true that everywhere there
Were large numbers of votes polled me-
chanically, as it were, simply for the
Republican or Democratic tickets. yet
| the issue was decided everywhere by
| the votes of men who broke away from
both parties to vote for the better OF
the candidates wherever they found
| them. in such contest as this Presi-
dent Roosevelt's influence and the in
! fuence of his ideas and principles was
very powerful and contributed mate
rally to bring in every State thousands
of votes to the Republican ticket that
would not have otherwise been the
| case.
! Again the American people demon
strate how dearly they love high prin-
ciples in Government and how true
they are to the support of any man who
will come forward as sincere cham
| pion of these.
4 REPUBLICAN CONGRESS.
We congratulate all the veterans al