Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-05-02
The Coming struggle.

The eventful struggle In this coun-
try will be between lndiyidualism and
socialism and the Republican party,
with is persistent efforts for centrali-
cation, is to blame for the growth of
the soclalistic propaganda. The De-
mocracy has always stood for the free
dom Of the individual and home rule,
and opposed to the paternalistic and
Hamiltonlan theory that the Federal
government must be all powerful. The
constitutional provision that all rights
not granted by the States to the CEN
trail government are reserved to the
States and the people, is the funda-
mental doctrine of the Democratic
party. Jefferson. the apostle Of the
Democrats, declared this, and no true
Democrat has ever gainsayed 1t.
Mr.. Bryan, who has been accused by
the Republicans of Socialism, shows
by his conservative views in his article
entitled, "IndividualIsm VS.. Socialism,"
In the Century Magazine for April, his
own and the Democratic position. In
that article he says: much of the
strength developed by Socialism Is due
to the fact that Socialists advocates
certain reforms which individualists
also advocate Municipal ownership
of monopoles, for instance, is advo-
Gated by individuallsts, because 1t Is
practically impossible to have more
than one water system In city, and
by the latter on the general ground that
government should own all the means
Of production and Discrimination" Mr..
Bryan remarks that ''the sentiment for
municipal lighting plants is not vet
SO strong, and the sentiment in favor
of public telephones and street car
lines Is still less pronounced; but the
same general principles apply to them,
and individualists, without accepting
the creed of Socialism can advocate the
extension Of municipal ownership to
them" He further shows plainly the
evils to the individual citizen of So
cialism when he says: "If the gov
eminent operates all the factories, all
the farms, and all the stores. there
must be superintendent MS we'll as
workmen; there must be different kinds
of employment, some more pleasant,
some less pleasant" and he axis: "Is
1t likely that any set Of men can dis
tribute the work or fix the compensa-
ton to the satisfaction of all, or even
to the satisfaction of majority of
the people?"
How great therefore, is the gulf be-
tween the Democracy and the Socail-
lists, who believe In concentrating all
power in the central government,
whereas the Democrats stand for the
utmost freedom of the Individual citi-
zen without infringement upon the
rights of others.
The trend of Republicanism Is to
rush to Congress for u cure for politl-
cal evils; to overlook, and even aid,
executive usurpation over the repre-
sentatives of the people; to favor trusts
and corporations who in return have
furnished money to corruptly keep
their friends in power. The Demo
cratic doctrine is exactly opposite and
Is expressed by Equal rights to all
and special privileges to none" With
out the Democratic party, which alone
offers all classes equal rights, there
would be a certain hurrylng of the
unthinking to the extreme of appro-
priating all the means of production
and distribution by the national gov
eminent SO That ultimately there would
be no incentive for individual effort.
The confiscatlon of the property of
those who, by saving or superior abil-
ity, had secured competence would,
follow the appropriation of the property
Of those who amassed millions.
The Democrats are striving to curb
and control by equitable laws the
trusts, the corporations and individuals
who are monopolists, so that the hum
blest citizen shall have equal oppor-
tunity with them, and the first step
in that direction is to abolish the spe-
clal privileges that the Republican
party has granted Its favorltes.