The Irish standard., 1906-09-08
DEMOCRACY VS.. SOCIALISM.

uu0er the leadership OF M:. Bryan. If
he cannot be elected there is no Demo-
crat that can be. If he is not big
enough and wise enough to lead US
there Is no one before the public eye
at the present time that can. All Dem
Ocrats are united in these views and
they Joined in rendering to him upon
his return to his native country a well
come such as no private citizen ever
before received. Democrats of ali
shades of opinion had practically ac-
ceded to Mr.. Bryan's views upon pub.
lie questions. Democrats We're hope
full that the party which had for more
than ten years been dsorganized,
would soon be upon it's old fighting
basis. Under these circumstances il
seems strange that Mr.. Bryan should
have announced new doctrine and
offered it for Democratic consump-
tion.
Mr.. Bryan will be listened to. Null
titudes will accept his dictum as DEM
ocratic doctrine and policy. He rests
under a heavy responsibility He is in
a position that no other man occupies
in this country. Mr. Bryan can do
more than any other human being to
mould public opinion in the coming
struggle between Democracy and a re-
nf nv,f tNn
one hand and socialism and a pater-
nalism on the other. 1t is not without
hesitation that ordinary people should
assume to question the opinions of a
leader so revered and so popular as Mr.
Bryan. but we conceive il to be our
duty to take issue with The PROPOSE
ton that the federal government
should become the owner and manager
of the railroads. We think we UNDER
stand what the line of dcmarcation
between the Democratic Party and it's
opponents has been down through the
one hundred and seventeen years OF
the existence Of this Republic. Issues
have passed away and new issues have
taken the place of the oil. but until
recently the Democratic Party has
stood forth the champion If Il govern
ment of limited and delegated powers
to be exercised within the letter Of
the written law strictly construed.
That was the doctrine that Jefferson
preached. 1t was the doctrine that
Jackson believed in and enforced. 1t
was Hamilton and Adams and Mar
shall that stood forth in the early days
of the Republic as the champions Of
the strong, centralized federal govern
ment. 1t was they and not Jefferson
and his friends who contended that the
government at Washington should
us that an attempt is now being made
to make the party face about. 1t is
now contcnded in the name of Democ-
racy that the government at WASH
ington should own and operate the
thousands or more railroads of the
country. That it should in some way
teen billions of dollars with which to
purchase those railroads, and that ii
should put the million or more em-
ploycs of those railroads G:irectly un-
der the control of the President or
some of his agents. No reater step
in the direction of socialism has ever
been advocated by Il responsible lead
err of Il great party. Can II be possi-
BILE that Mr. Bryan is attempting to
placatc a handful of extremists who
will be satisfied With nothing except
socialism? The proposal t.; not con-
sonant with the remedies and prac-
tices of our government in the past.
1t is revolution.
If the government should take over
the railroads, as Mr.. Brvar advises,
the extremists and revolut'cnists will
then demand that the telephone and
the express lines be taken ever. Then
they will demand that the coal mines
be owned ana operated by the govern
ment. Coal is II necessity and the coal
operators behave no better than the
railroad managers. Then there is oil
and the demand will be made that the
government take possession of the oil
fields for the oil trust Is as dangerous
a factor in politics as the railroads.
Steel also is necessary for our national
prosperity and the socialists will de-
mand that tie iron mines be owned
by the government: aud so from one
thing to another until all the avenues
OF human endeavor are transferred
from private to public ownership. Mr..
Bryan must not imagine that he can
take one step in the direction of so
cialism and stop there. Il he takes
one step the men who induced him to
take it will force him to take the next.
Socialists and their doctrines are not
products of American soil They are
not satisfied with the American form
of government. nor any other. Equal
ity of opinion before the law is not
what they are looking for. but they
insist upon an equality of wealth
where no man shall have more mater.
ial possessions than another man.